Prevention of impaired driving: Politics, timing and research knowledge.

Although frequently overlooked, a pragmatic understanding of the political environment remains an important component in the successful implementation of any countermeasure strategy. Through the experience of the Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission (AADAC) with a number of counter-measure programs, an awareness of a range of political factors should be addressed if a prevention measure is to be successfully implemented has been developed. It is the intent of this paper to illustrate some of these considerations.