Although the trend in driving under the influence (DUI) over the last 25 years has been substantially downward, no single strategy to combat DUI stands out as a proven, long-term success on its own. In light of the recent evidence suggesting a rise in DUI, researchers and policy- makers are looking at anti-DUI programs of the 1980s and early 1990s, when the largest successes were recorded in terms of rising arrests and falling DUI-related deaths. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has commissioned the Governors Highway Safety Association to carry out a nationwide review of anti-DUI programs that are community-based and that enlist a broad range of strategies and government agencies. The early findings suggest that long-term reductions in impaired driving crashes and fatalities can be achieved when enforcement and education efforts target environmental factors such as availability of alcohol, along with the specific behavior of driving after drinking. The most significant achievement in the struggle to lower DUI has been the change in cultural norms regarding impaired driving, due in large part to citizen-based advocacy groups like Mothers Against Drunk Driving, formed in the early 1980s. Highly publicized enforcement efforts, such as blanket sobriety checkpoints, also seem to have had an effect, although merely increasing the amount of arrests or patrols won't have much effect unless the enforcement actions are publicized.
Samenvatting