A Summary Report of Six Demonstration Projects to Reduce Alcohol-Impaired Driving among 21- to 34-Year-Old Drivers

NHTSA · 2008 · ROSA P / United States. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

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Summary

This report summarizes six demonstration projects funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to reduce alcohol-impaired driving among drivers aged 21 to 34. While previous efforts significantly reduced fatalities among drivers under 21, this age group remained disproportionately represented in alcohol-related crashes, accounting for more than one-third of such fatalities. Motivated by the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century and dedicated congressional funding, NHTSA selected five new projects in 2001 and included a previously evaluated program in Colorado to test diverse countermeasures. The initiatives, implemented between 2002 and 2004, targeted high-risk populations through strategies including responsible alcohol retailing, alternative ride services, social norms marketing, and workplace education. The projects employed varied methodologies tailored to specific community needs. In California, the Institute for Public Strategies used "place-of-last-drink" surveys of DUI offenders to identify high-risk bars, followed by risk assessments and responsible beverage service training. Wisconsin’s Road Crew program applied social marketing techniques to promote limousine and taxi services as appealing alternatives to driving, targeting rural men. Montana’s MOST of Us® campaign utilized social norms marketing to correct misperceptions about peer behavior, saturating intervention counties with media messages stating that most young adults do not drink and drive. Colorado’s Smart Roads program combined a media campaign highlighting the financial costs of DUIs with an interactive workplace education initiative for blue-collar workers. Minnesota’s Last Call project focused on educating blue-collar employees, while Louisiana combined worksite training with enforcement checkpoints and media campaigns. The report details specific outcomes for each intervention. In California, the identification and training of problem outlets led to fewer mentions of two establishments in subsequent surveys. Wisconsin’s program provided nearly 20,000 rides, with organizers estimating it prevented 15 alcohol-related crashes at a cost of approximately $15,300 per crash avoided. Montana’s campaign resulted in a 13.7% relative decrease in self-reported driving after drinking and a 15% increase in the use of designated drivers among the target population. Colorado saw a 24.8% decrease in nighttime single-vehicle injury crashes in the intervention area, compared to a 4% increase in comparison sites. Minnesota reported increased knowledge among employees after training, and Louisiana arrested 129 individuals during checkpoint operations supported by over 12,000 advertisements. The study concludes that successful interventions share common characteristics, including the use of preliminary data to direct strategies, comprehensive approaches, pilot testing, and strong community partnerships. While immediate reductions in fatalities were difficult to measure due to project duration and complexity, the initiatives demonstrated promising results in changing attitudes, behaviors, and crash rates. The report provides guidance for program planners, emphasizing that conceptually sound, multi-disciplinary interventions involving employers, law enforcement, and community stakeholders are effective in addressing impaired driving among young adults.

Key finding

The Montana social norms campaign produced a 13.7-percent relative decrease in self-reported driving after drinking among young adults, while the Colorado Smart Roads program reduced nighttime single-vehicle injury crashes by 24.8 percent in the intervention area.

Methodology

mixed_methods

Provenance

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Topics

Ranked by relevance to this paper. Hover a topic for its definition.

• dui enforcement
• public messaging
• driver education effectiveness
• drowsy as impairment
• traffic safety culture
• alcohol

Information type

What kind of knowledge this paper contributes, grouped by family — independent of topic (what it is about) and method (how it was studied).

• Applied Guidance: countermeasure evaluation, policy recommendations
• Empirical Findings: observational prevalence