Drinking and driving turns friends into killers.

This tag line generated the most reaction from participants and hit home with its direct, brief, and shocking theme when presented to 18 to 25 year-olds in a recently completed research study. Mid-America Research Institute of Winchester, Massachusetts conducted the study for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to develop and test messages that would encourage individuals to drive sober and to keep their friends from driving after drinking.

The test audience was chosen from 18 to 25 year-olds because this group remains at high risk for driving while intoxicated (DWI), and they are still young enough that making changes in their drinking and driving patterns is a strong possibility.

Results from an initial set of focus groups with members of this target group led the researchers to develop messages along two themes. The first theme was consequences that focused on the negative effects of being involved in a crash. Participants said that they were not so much concerned about hurting themselves in a crash, but they were worried about hurting others, especially a close friend or a little brother or sister.

The second theme revolved around intervention. These messages emphasize being there for a friend (driving a drunk friend home), and letting a friend be there for you (driving you home if you are impaired).

Several storyboards of mock public service announcements (PSAs) were developed for these themes and shown to a second set of focus groups and to participants in data collection testing paths held at two colleges.

Overall, the consequences messages -- which depicted crash scenes and other emotional, life-ending effects of drinking and driving were rated the highest. The intervention messages, which were relatively more upbeat and positive in nature, were also rated highly, but did not grab the attention of the majority of the test audience.

The most persuasive message, entitled Karen and Beth, opens with a scene of a party with drinking and laughter. The second shot is a close-up of one friend with a voice over saying "Tonight Karen is going to die..." The next short is of another friend with the voice over saying "....and Beth is going to kill her." Next is a picture of a crashed car, and the PSA ends with a black screen with the tag line "Drinking and driving turns friends into killers."

The problem of alcohol impaired driving can not be solved solely through traditional efforts such as enforcement and sanctions. With 17,126 people killed in the United States in 1996 in alcohol-related crashes, we need changes in areas that are at the heart of the problem -- society's attitudes and behaviors regarding impaired driving. Public service campaigns, with messages such as Karen and Beth may help reduce the number of DWI fatalities. The research report includes copies of Karen and Beth and the other PSA storyboards.

HOW TO ORDER

For a copy of Develop and Test Messages to Deter Drinking and Driving, write to the Office of Research and Traffic Records, NHTSA, NTS-31, 400 Seventh Street, S.W., Washington, DC 20590, or send a fax to (202) 366-7096. Amy Berning was the contract manager for this project, email, aberning@nhtsa.dot.gov

U.S. Department
of Transportation
National Highway
Traffic Safety
Administration
400 Seventh Street, S.W. NTS-31
Washington, DC 20590

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