6.5 Youth Programs

This countermeasure involves youth drinking-and-driving prevention programs that seek to motivate youth not to drink, not to drink and drive, and not to ride with drivers who have been drinking. Although some programs use scare tactics, many employ positive messages and methods by providing positive role models that discourage alcohol use, promoting positive norms that do not involve alcohol, and encouraging youth activities that do not involve or lead to alcohol use. A more recent type of approach focuses on “social norms” or “normative feedback” that provides students with accurate information about drinking. Recognizing that young people often respond better to messages from their peers, some programs have adopted a peer-to-peer approach.

Effectiveness Concerns: This countermeasure has been examined in several research studies. Despite some positive research findings, the balance of evidence regarding countermeasure effectiveness remains inconclusive.

Further information about the known research, potential effectiveness, costs, use, and time to implement are available in Appendix A1, Section 6.5.

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