The 2006 National Labor Day Impaired Driving Enforcement Crackdown: Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest

Solomon, M. G. (Mark Geoffrey); Hedlund, James H.; Haire, Emily R.; Chaffe, Robert H. B.; Cosgrove, Linda A. · 2008 · ROSA P / United States. Department of Transportation. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

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Summary

This report evaluates the 2006 National Labor Day Impaired Driving Enforcement Crackdown, a nationwide initiative led by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) under the slogan "Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest." The campaign was motivated by previous research indicating that well-publicized, high-visibility enforcement reduces alcohol-related crashes, modeling the approach after the successful "Click It or Ticket" seatbelt program. The objective was to deter drunk driving through a combination of intensive law enforcement and paid media targeting young adult males, a demographic overrepresented in alcohol-related fatalities. The evaluation methodology combined process data with outcome measures. NHTSA and participating states spent approximately $18.3 million on paid advertisements, primarily television and radio spots aired over three weekends in August and September 2006. Concurrently, 48 states conducted 18 nights of high-visibility enforcement, including sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols. Data sources included FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) statistics for DWI arrests, Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) data for alcohol-related deaths, and national random-sample telephone surveys conducted before and after the campaign to measure public awareness and self-reported behavior. Additionally, case studies of eight states (Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, Tennessee, and West Virginia) examined the long-term effects of sustained enforcement programs. The results indicated that the campaign successfully raised awareness. Telephone surveys showed an increase in the perceived likelihood of being stopped for drunk driving, particularly among the 18- to 34-year-old target demographic. Enforcement efforts yielded over 40,000 DWI arrests, and UCR data showed higher annual arrest rates in 26 of 49 reporting states compared to 2005. However, self-reported drinking and driving behavior did not change, and the total number of alcohol-related fatalities nationwide remained essentially unchanged between 2005 and 2006 (17,590 vs. 17,602). A specific decline was observed in fatalities involving male drivers aged 18 to 34 with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 g/dL or higher, which dropped from 4,996 to 4,872. The report concludes that while single, short-duration national crackdowns effectively raise awareness and increase arrests, they do not significantly reduce overall alcohol-related fatalities. Significant reductions are achieved only through sustained, high-visibility enforcement programs supported by consistent media efforts. Case studies demonstrated this, with Colorado reporting a 28% reduction in drivers over the .08 BAC limit over five years and West Virginia seeing an 18% decrease in alcohol-related fatalities from 2002 to 2005. The authors emphasize that resource constraints often hinder the continuation of these effective programs, urging states to maintain sustained enforcement to achieve meaningful reductions in impaired driving deaths.

Key finding

The 2006 campaign increased public awareness and perceived enforcement risk but resulted in no change in self-reported drinking and driving behavior and no significant change in total alcohol-related fatalities.

Methodology

mixed_methods

Provenance

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Topics

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• dui enforcement
• drowsy as impairment
• public messaging
• alcohol

Information type

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