Detection of DWI Motorcyclists

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Detection of DWI Motorcyclists

J. W. Stuster

A set of 14 behavioral cues associated with impaired motorcycle riding has been identified based on interviews with expert law enforcement officers, archival research of almost 1,000 motorcycle driving while intoxicated (DWI) arrest reports, and the conduct of three separate field studies. The field studies involved the participation of 50 law enforcement sites, representing 19 separate agencies and eleven states. Data were collected during the field studies concerning all enforcement stops made of motorcyclists, regardless of the disposition of the stops. By collecting data about all stops of motorcyclists, it was possible to calculate the proportion of the time that specific cues were observed in association with DWI; those proportions could then be expressed as probabilities of DWI detection. Preliminary detection guide and training materials were tested during the 1991 riding season in a major validation study. It was found that use of the detection guide and exposure to the training materials substantially improved the abilities of law enforcement officers to detect impaired motorcyclists, especially on the cues dependent on balance and vigilence skills. A Motorcycle DWI Detection Guide, associated booklet, and 12-minute training video, present the 14 rider behaviors, or cues, that were found to best discriminate between impaired and unimpaired operation of a motorcycle.