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Young drink drivers at risk: study

REHABILITATION services for young drink drivers in Victoria are below international standards, leading them to re-offend and risk lives on the road, according to a new report.

Commissioned by the RACV and compiled by the Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety, Queensland (CARRS-Q), the study found drink driver rehabilitation in Victoria did not reflect "international best practice".

While services were available, they were "part of the re-licensing requirement and are not built into the penalty or public health system", RACV public policy manager Ken Ogden said.

"It's reliant on people wanting to re-license and is not an effective mechanism for encouraging treatment and rehabilitation," Dr Ogden said.

"The problem is that the current system views drink driving solely as a traffic issue and licensing matter, not a public health matter."

The report found 26 per cent of Victorian drivers aged 21 to 26 convicted of drink-driving were repeat offenders.

"We believe the Victorian government must move beyond traditional enforcement practices and recognise that we have to work more closely with young offenders to deal with their underlying problems in order to prevent them re-offending," Dr Ogden said.

Dr Ogden called for pre-sentencing assessments to direct drivers with alcohol problems into early treatment programs and regular monitoring to assess the effectiveness of the rehabilitation.