Reducing Alcohol-Impaired Driving: Surveys for Use in Measuring Program Effectiveness

Snyder, Monroe B.; Vegega, Maria E. · 1983 · ROSA P / United States. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

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Summary

This 1983 NHTSA technical note addresses the challenge of evaluating the effectiveness of state and local programs designed to reduce alcohol-impaired driving. The authors, Monroe B. Snyder and Maria E. Vegega, argue that measuring "bottom-line" outcomes, such as reductions in fatalities or accidents, is often impractical due to delays and data limitations. Consequently, the paper proposes using intermediate measures—specifically changes in the attitudes, knowledge, perceptions, and behaviors of potential drinking drivers—to assess program impact. The goal is to provide local jurisdictions with standardized tools to determine whether their anti-drunk driving initiatives are influencing the target population. To achieve this, the authors developed an "Inventory of Alcohol Items" containing 202 unique survey questions. The inventory is grounded in a conceptual model identifying eleven human factors that influence driving while intoxicated (DWI) avoidance, including attitudes toward the problem, perceived risk of detection, knowledge of impairment, and available alternatives to driving. The inventory is organized into five topical sections: attitudes and obligation, risk of detection and punishment, specific avoidance techniques, knowledge of impairment levels, and available alternatives. Items are coded to facilitate analysis and comparison, with specific designations for "core" items and those used in a national survey. Many items utilize open-ended formats to avoid biasing respondents with pre-defined answer choices. For jurisdictions lacking the technical expertise to design custom surveys, the report provides three ready-made "Special Alcohol Survey Forms." These forms are tailored to specific program emphases: General Deterrence (focusing on enforcement and risk of apprehension), Public Information/Education (focusing on attitudes and avoidance actions), or a combination of both. Each form selects items from the broader inventory to address the five key topic areas, allowing communities to conduct evaluations without developing new instruments. The authors note that while some items had been tested in a 1982 national survey, the special forms themselves were not yet formally pretested at the time of publication. The significance of this work lies in its provision of a standardized, comprehensive framework for evaluating alcohol highway safety programs. By focusing on behavioral and attitudinal precursors to DWI, the inventory allows for timely assessment of program effectiveness and facilitates cross-jurisdictional comparison through shared data and potential norm development. The document serves as a practical resource for evaluators, researchers, and program planners, enabling them to identify weak areas in public understanding or behavior and to tailor interventions accordingly. It shifts the evaluation focus from administrative metrics, such as arrest counts, to the actual impact on the individuals targeted by these safety programs.

Key finding

The report provides a standardized set of 202 survey items and three specialized questionnaire forms to evaluate the impact of anti-drinking-driving programs on the attitudes, knowledge, and perceptions of potential drinking drivers.

Methodology

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Topics

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• dui enforcement
• drowsy as impairment
• alcohol detection systems
• alcohol

Information type

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• Applied Guidance: countermeasure evaluation