The effect of a road safety campaign in three trial regions in Germany aimed at reducing the number of road accidents caused by young novice drivers consuming alcohol is described. The campaign consisted of leaflets, posters, brochures and personal letters to women between 16 and 24 and men between 18 and 24 years of age. Inside the letters to women, telephone cards were provided so that they could call someone to pick them up instead of being driven home by a drunk driver. Additional police enforcement and alcohol testing was also carried out. Attitude questionnaires were also sent out to 10,000 individuals in the target group. 86% of target individuals had been to a discotheque or party at the weekend, 68.9% had consumed alcohol and most did not return home until after 04.00 h. At this time there were no buses and only a few young adults would consider taking a taxi. The campaign leaflet and poster were found acceptable, and the telephone card proved very effective. The number of accidents resulting from alcohol impairment decreased by 27.5% in the target areas, so the trial was extended to other regions in Germany.
Abstract