Current statistics show that the majority of impaired drivers not only exceed state-mandated BAC limits, currently set at .08 or .10, but they exceed those limits by an extremely wide margin. Studies show that the severity of motor vehicle crashes increases with the degree of alcohol involvement. Drivers with BACs exceeding .15 are 200 times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash, and those with BACs exceeding .20 are 460 times more likely. Because repeat offenders often drive at highly elevated BAC levels, their potential to become involved in a fatal crash is high. In fact, hard core drinking drivers accounted for nearly half of all alcohol-related fatal crashes in 1997, while representing only one percent of the drivers on the road at that time.
Repeat offenders are more resistant to typical deterrents.
Additionally, they often have a history of poor social and interpersonal relationships. As such, repeat offenders present an enormous challenge to law enforcement agencies because of their overwhelming resistance to deterrents. Enforcement strategies that deter most law-abiding citizens are not as effective with repeat offenders. Strong enforcement and strict penalties are necessary to curb this behavior. Intervention in these cases is often not a sufficient solution.