Update of Vehicle Sanction Laws and their Application (Volume 1-Summary)

Because of the substantial number of driving while intoxicated (DWI) offenders driving illegally with suspended licenses and the limited enforcement resources available to deal with the problem, many States and the Federal government have begun to enact legislation directed at the vehicles owned by offenders to limit their illicit driving. Such policies fall into three broad categories: (1) programs that require special plates on the vehicles of DWI offenders and/or confiscate the vehicle plates and vehicle registration; (2) devices installed in the vehicle that prevent its operation if the driver has been drinking (alcohol ignition interlock); and (3) programs that impound, immobilize, confiscate or forfeit the vehicle. This study updates as of the end of 2004 a 1992 NHTSA study of vehicle sanctions.  The 1992 study reported that 32 States had laws providing for various vehicle sanctions; however, in most of these States these sanctions were rarely used.  This current study updates that effort with a contemporary overview of vehicle sanction laws and their application as of December 2004.  It goes beyond the earlier study by reporting on information from other countries, incorporating a review of ignition interlock devices (not considered in the earlier study) and providing a more recent list of vehicle sanctions on a State-by-State basis.