December is National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month
December has been designated by Presidential Proclamation as National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month (also known as 3D Month). Since 1981, every President of the United States has demonstrated his commitment to preventing impaired driving by striving to increase public awareness and prevention and supporting public- and private-sector organizations committed to preventing crashes caused by impaired driving.
Recent research underscores the continuing need for this emphasis, particularly among America's youth:
- In 2005, alcohol-related motor-vehicle crashes resulted in 16,694 deaths in the United States, accounting for 39 % of the total traffic fatalities for the year. Moreover, approximately 21% of all crashes that killed children aged <14 years in 2005 were alcohol-related. [1,2]
- For 2003, alcohol was involved in 19.6 % of fatal crashes involving drivers ages 16 to 20. [3]
- In 2005, 10% of high school students reported driving a car or other vehicle during the past 30 days when they had been drinking alcohol. In addition, 29% of students reported riding in a car or other vehicle during the past 30 days driven by someone who had been drinking alcohol. [4]
- In 2005, there were 10.5 million persons aged 12 or older who reported driving under the influence of an illicit drug during the past year. [5]
- Among persons aged 16 to 20, 17% reported past year DUI/DWI involving alcohol, 14% reported past year DUI/DWI involving illicit drugs, and 8% reported past year DUI/DWI involving a combination of alcohol and illicit drugs used together. Whites and American Indians/Alaska Natives were more likely to report DUI/DWI than other racial/ethnic groups. [3]
- Young men ages 18 to 20 (under the legal drinking age) reported driving while impaired more frequently than any other age group.[6,7]
- Among youth, the use of alcohol and other drugs has also been linked to unintentional injuries, physical fights, academic and occupational problems, and illegal behavior.[8]
Parents are the most important influence on teens when it comes to alcohol, marijuana use and other risky behaviors, including risky driving. Greater parent involvement, clear rules, and parental supervision are associated with less risky teen behavior, such as marijuana use and driving while high or under the influence of alcohol. Also, communities need comprehensive and effective strategies to prevent driving under the influence of alcohol and illicit drugs.
To further decrease alcohol-related fatal crashes, communities need to implement and enforce strategies that are known to be effective. Strategies include sobriety checkpoints, 0.08% BAC laws, minimum legal drinking age laws, and "zero tolerance" laws for young drivers, which make it illegal for youth under age 21 years to drive with any measurable amount of alcohol in their system (i.e., with a BAC ≥0.02 g/dl).[9,10]
The Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has partnered with state and local law enforcement agencies to carry out the campaign, "Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest." This program aims to keep impaired drivers off our nation's roads by creating new public education programs and toughening enforcement. The Office of National Drug Control Policy also works to warn young drivers and their parents about the dangers of driving under the influence of drugs.
The following links provide more information about National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention (3D) Month:
CDC National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC)
http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/duip/spotlite/3d.htm
This fact sheet gives statistics on injuries as a result of alcohol or narcotics. It also lists effective response and prevention approaches.
"Drunk Driving: Over the Limit: Under Arrest" Campaign Planner
http://www.stopimpaireddriving.org/planners/HVEPlanner/planner/index.cfm
This planner includes messaging and templates you may choose from to support your impaired driving initiatives and to provide marketing materials, earned media tools, and marketing ideas you can distribute to fit your local needs and objectives for promotion of this campaign.
More information about alcohol awareness and drug abuse prevention is available here:
Preventing Drug Abuse among Children and Adolescents
http://www.nida.nih.gov/Prevention/Prevopen.html
This research-based guide for parents, educators, and community leaders presents information for thinking about, planning for, and delivering research-based drug abuse prevention programs at the community level.
The Guide (PDF) is a drug abuse prevention brochure that provides parents with real-life tips on how to keep kids drug free.
Take a look at other resources available from SafeYouth.org:
Alcohol Abuse
http://www.safeyouth.org/scripts/topics/aabuse.aspSubstance Abuse
http://www.safeyouth.org/scripts/topics/subabuse.asp
1. Dept of Transportation (US), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Traffic safety facts 2005: overview. Washington (DC): NHTSA; 2006b Available from URL: http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/nrd-30/NCSA/TSF2005/810618.pdf.
2. Dept of Transportation (US), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Traffic safety facts 2005: children. Washington (DC): NHTSA; 2006b [cited 2006 Oct 3]. Available from URL: http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/nrd-30/NCSA/TSF2005/810618.pdf.
3. Alcohol Epidemiologic Data System. Yi, H.; Williams, G.D.; and Hilton, M.E. Surveillance Report #71: Trends in Alcohol-Related Fatal Traffic Crashes, United States, 1977–2003. Bethesda, MD: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Division of Epidemiology and Prevention Research (August 2005). Available online at: http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/Resources/DatabaseResources/QuickFacts/TrafficCrashes/crash14.htm
4. CDC. Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance - United States, 2005 [pdf 300K]. Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report 2006; 55(SS-5):1–108. Accessed June 8, 2006.
5. DHHS (US), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Office of Applied Studies. Results from the 2005 National Survey on Drug Abuse and Health (NSDUH): Detailed Tables. September 2006. Available from URL: http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/nsduh/2k5nsduh/tabs/2k5tabs.pdf
6. Shults RA, Sleet DA, Elder RW, Ryan GW, Sehgal M. Association between state-level drinking and driving countermeasures and self-reported alcohol-impaired driving. Injury Prevention 2002; 8:106–10.
7. Quinlan KP, Brewer RD, Siegel P, Sleet DA, Mokdad AH, Shults RA, Flowers N. Alcohol-impaired driving among U.S. adults, 1993-2002. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 2005; 28(4):345-350.
8. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The relationship between mental health and substance abuse among Adolescents. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 1999. Accessed June 1, 2006.
9. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. States with Zero Tolerance Laws for Drivers Under Age 21 [pdf 22K] Washington D.C.: U. S. Department of Transportation, 2002. Accessed June 1, 2006.
10. J.H. Hedlund, R.G. Ulmer, D.F. Preusser. Determine Why There Are Fewer Young Alcohol-Impaired Drivers. Washington D.C.: U.S. Department of Transportation, 2001 [Report Number DOT HS 809 348]. Accessed on June 1, 2006.