The objective of this project was to test innovative countermeasures for combatting the impaired driving problem among teenagers. A site was selected in which the local police department worked with high school students to implement a series of enforcement strategies combined with a public awareness campaign. High school students were surveyed prior to and after the program at the test site and at a comparison location. The ultimate goal of the project was to identify effective strategies for reducing drinking and driving by youth and thereby reducing teenager deaths and injuries that result from alcohol-related crashes. Project tasks included: 1) selecting a high-risk site to conduct a four-month community intervention program; 2) assisting the site in the development of a community grant for the conduct of the program; 3) implementing enforcement strategies and an awareness program; 4) evaluating the effectiveness of the program; and 5) disseminating results. Enforcement strategies included officers patrolling and setting up checkpoints where teenagers drink and drive; special patrols on alert for underage drinking parties; the use of hand-held alcohol sensors to determine quickly the presence of alcohol; and the use of undercover law enforcement officers to apprehend underage purchasers of alcohol. The campaign received substantial media coverage and community support. The local police department expressed the belief that the program was successful in terms of creating more positive contact with youth. Comparisons of pre- and post-program surveys found that the number of students indicating that they had consumed alcohol within the last month decreased from 43 percent prior to the program to 3 8 percent after the program. The comparison site's response remained unchanged at 47 percent. When asked how difficult it is to buy alcohol, test site students were less likely to say "pretty easy" or "very easy" after the program, while the comparison site's responses increased (55 percent and 62 percent, respectively). (A)
Abstract