Driver Records: An Aid in Follow-up Tracking and Verification of Self-Reports of Alcoholics

Abstract

A survey determined that all states of the United States and all but one Canadian province consider drivers records as public records and will provide copies to requesting parties at little or no cost. In a second survey, current drivers records were obtained for 452 (90.4%) of 500 consecutive admissions to a Southern California public alcoholism treatment program, indicating the utility of obtaining such records even for persons who have lost their driving privileges. Driver records are useful for locating subjects in follow-up studies, provide objective information regarding treatment outcome, and can be used to determine the veracity of subjects' self-reports of driving infractions.