Youth Programs

States, communities, nonprofit organizations, and schools have conducted extensive youth drinking-and-driving-prevention programs over the past 30 years. These programs seek to motivate youth not to drink, not to drink and drive, and not to ride with a driver who has been drinking. Although some programs use scare tactics, many employ positive messages and methods: 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 systematic review by CDC found there was insufficient evidence to determine the effectiveness of youth programs (Elder et al., 2005). To increase the perceived risks of drinking and driving, many schools have employed fatal vision goggles, peer-to-peer programs, role plays, or drunk-driving crash reenactments (e.g., “Every 15 Minutes”). Although popular, most of these programs have not been evaluated. The few existing studies suggest these types of programs may produce changes in knowledge or attitudes but have little or no effect on behaviors (Hover et al., 2000; Jewell & Hupp, 2005). Overall, education programs that train young adults on how to resist peer pressure and enhance informed decision-making skills may be the most successful approaches (Botvin & Griffin, 2007; Kelly-Weeder et al., 2011).