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Countermeasures That Work Alcohol- and Drug-Impaired Driving Countermeasures Prevention, Intervention, Communications, and Outreach 5.5 Designated Drivers

5.5 Designated Drivers


Effectiveness: 2 Star Cost: $
Use: Medium
Time: Short

Designated drivers are people who agree not to drink so they can drive home their friends who have been drinking. Formal designated driver programs in bars and restaurants provide incentives such as free soft drinks for people who agree to be designated drivers. Usually, designated driver arrangements are completely informal. Designated driver programs focus on specific actions taken at drinking establishments, which contrast with designated driver mass media campaigns that seek to generally raise awareness of this countermeasure and promote its informal use among the general driving population (see Section 5.2)

Effectiveness Concerns: The countermeasure effectiveness has been examined in a few research studies. There have been some positive research findings in terms of driver awareness of the countermeasure. However, the balance of evidence regarding the effectiveness of this countermeasure in reducing crashes remains inconclusive.

Further information about the known research, potential effectiveness, costs, use, and time to implement are available in Appendix A1, Section 5.5.