Alcohol interlocks

This report contains the proceedings of the 13th Annual Alcohol Interlock Symposium, hosted by the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF), an independent, charitable road safety research institute based in Ottawa Canada, in partnership with the Finnish Transport Safety Agency (Trafi). The theme of the event was "Alcohol Interlocks as a Traffic Management Tool", in order to acknowledge the contribution of both commercial and offender interlock programs. Given the European focus of the Symposium, this theme poignantly emphasized the fact that interlocks are versatile and not limited to usage with offenders. Devices can effectively be used in a pro-active approach to manage traffic safety among company fleets, taxis, school buses and government-owned vehicles as was evident from presentations at the Symposium. This approach is essentially different from the approach of offender programs in that the goal is not necessarily to rectify a drink driving problem. Rather, the goal is to increase the quality of services by showing commitment to safety, and, as such, instilling confidence among, and showing leadership toward customers, clients and the public alike. Hence, a key objective of the event was to draw upon lessons learned with regard to offender-based and commercial programs, and to broaden understanding of alcohol interlocks as a flexible road safety tool in different environments.