San Diego, California, is home to more than 10 military bases and installations and also is close to the Mexican border, where the minimum legal drinking age is 18. The lure of the bars just across the border in Mexico is a significant problem for military personnel living in San Diego County. Heavy drinking, combined with the hour-long drive back to base, place Marine border-crossers at particularly high risk for alcohol-related crashes. To reduce this problem, the Camp Pendleton command adopted a policy in March 2000 requiring Marines on the base to get a "request chit" to visit Mexico before heading to the border. This research describes an evaluation of cross-border drinkers and examines behavior of Camp Pendelton Marines before and after the policy change. Military personnel from the 32nd Street Naval station, who were not restricted from visiting Tijuana, were used as a control group. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting