Combining Enforcement and Public Information to Deter DWI: The Experience of Three Communities
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Summary
This report evaluates the effectiveness of combining specific DWI enforcement techniques with targeted public information and education (PI&E) campaigns to achieve general deterrence of driving while intoxicated. The study was motivated by the need to determine if linking public messaging directly to specific enforcement actions—rather than using generalized anti-drunk driving messages—could enhance public awareness and reduce alcohol-related crashes. The research involved three field tests in Clearwater/Largo, Florida; Indianapolis, Indiana; and Boise, Idaho, each paired with a demographically similar comparison community. The experimental design required local jurisdictions to select specific enforcement strategies from a provided menu, such as checkpoints, high-priority location patrols, and improved sobriety testing, and then develop PI&E materials that highlighted these specific tactics. Programs ran for approximately one year with minimal federal funding, relying on local resources to ensure sustainability. Evaluation methods included comparing monthly nighttime and alcohol-related crash statistics between test and comparison sites, as well as conducting random-digit-dialing telephone surveys to measure public awareness of enforcement activities and self-reported drinking-driving behavior. Results varied significantly across the three sites. Clearwater/Largo, which utilized extensive checkpoints, strong command emphasis, and a comprehensive PI&E campaign including hard news and public service announcements, achieved statistically significant reductions in alcohol-related and nighttime crashes. This site also saw increased public awareness and a 70% increase in DWI arrests. Indianapolis experienced improvements in self-reported behavior and slight reductions in nighttime crashes, though awareness levels were already high prior to the project due to recent legal changes. Boise, which lacked checkpoints and experienced a reduction in specialized enforcement manpower, saw no change in self-reported behavior or crash patterns and a decrease in DWI arrests. The study concludes that the success of combined enforcement and PI&E programs depends heavily on the specific strategies employed. The use of checkpoints and strong command emphasis were identified as critical factors for program effectiveness. Furthermore, comprehensive PI&E campaigns utilizing multiple channels (hard news, PSAs, and community appearances) were more successful than reliance on a single approach. The findings suggest that while the concept of linking enforcement and publicity is viable, its impact is contingent upon robust enforcement execution and sustained, multi-faceted public communication.
Key finding
Programs utilizing checkpoints, strong command emphasis, and comprehensive public information campaigns achieved greater reductions in alcohol-related crashes and improvements in public awareness compared to those relying on single strategies or lacking leadership support.
Methodology
field_study
Provenance
The full processing record for this entry. Every stage of this paper's journey through the pipeline is logged — what ran, with which tool and model, how many attempts it took, and when it last completed. Discovered via bulk_ingest_rosap on 2026-05-23 (6 acquisition events logged).
| Stage | Outcome | Tool | Model | Prompt | Attempts | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| discover | success | rosap | — | — | 2 | 2026-05-23 |
| archive | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-05-23 |
| extract | success | cached | — | — | 2 | 2026-06-10 |
| clean | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-01 |
| chunk | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-01 |
| embed | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-02 |
| enrich | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-05-23 |
| promote | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-05-23 |
| summarize | success | llm | qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant | summ-v5 | 3 | 2026-06-10 |
| tag | success | vector_similarity | — | — | 19 | 2026-06-11 |
| verify | success | — | — | — | 2 | 2026-06-10 |
Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.
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- Applied Guidance: countermeasure evaluation, policy recommendations