U.S. Department of Transportation National Highway Traffic Salefy Administration Exploring an Alternative Transportation Program to Reduce Impaired Driving This publication is distributed by the U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in the interest of information exchange. The opinions, findings and conclusions expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the Department of Transportation or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The United States Government assumes no liability for its content or use thereof. If trade or manufacturer's names or products are mentioned, it is because they are considered essential to the object of the publication and should not be construed as an endorsement. The United States Government does not endorse products or manufacturers. Technical Report Documentation Page 1. Report No. 2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient's Catalog No. DOT HS 809 364 4. Title and Subtitle 5. Report Date Exploring an Alternative Transportation Program to Reduce Impaired Driving November 2001 6. Performing Organization Code 7. Author(s) 8. Performing Organization Report No. Kathryn Stewart, Douglas Piper, and Monica King 9. Performing Organization Name and Address 10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS) Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation ik i te 600 11 140 Rockville P e, Su 1 I. Contract or Grant No. Rockville, Maryland 20852 DTNH22-95-R-05007 12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address 13. Type of Report and Period Covered National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Final Report Office of Research and Traffic Records 1995 - 2001 Research and Evaluation Division 14. Sponsoring Agency Code 400 7th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20590 15. Supplementary Notes The Contracting Officer's Technical Representative for this project was Dr. Patty Ellison-Potter. 16. Abstract This study assessed the impact of an alternate ride home for persons who wanted to plan ahead for instances when they may be too impaired to drive, specifically targeting persons between the ages of 29 and 49. First, a series of focus groups was conducted to examine perceptions, opinion, attitudes, and beliefs about impaired driving and explored attitudes about the importance of family, jobs, and friendships in making decisions about drinking and driving and staying in control. Based on the focus group findings, the researchers chose a work place program to evaluate because of the connection that exists between drinking and driving and potential negative consequences for workers' careers. Two firms in Dane County, Wisconsin agreed to participate in the program, called CareFare, by promoting this program in their work place. One employer was a bank and the other was a manufacturing company. The appeal of workplace programs designed to prevent drinking and driving is that they are good business. Avoiding a crash is good for everyone, driver and employer alike. From an employer's point of view, lost time due to injury results in reduced productivity regardless of where or when the crash occurs. Some drawbacks were identified. One potential problem is that impaired driving is a sensitive issue when compared to other health concerns that might be addressed at the work place. The two employers in this program expressed concern that providing CareFare coupons might imply that either they condoned heavy drinking or that they believed their employees habitually became too impaired to drive. Surveys conducted after the program found that there was very little awareness of the program among employees of the two participating companies. 17. Key Words 18. Distribution Statement Document is available through the National Technical Information DWI Countries Sanctions Service Laws International Graduated Licensing Systems Springfield, Virginia 22161 19. Security Classif. (of this report) 20. Security Classif. (of this page) 21. No. of Pages 22. Price 167 Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) Reproduction of completed page authorized Contents Executive Summary ...........................................................................................1 Introduction and Background ......................................................................................................... 7 Methodology ................................................................................................................................. 10 Definition of the Target Group ................................................................................................. 11 The Characteristics and Norms of the Target Group ................................................................ 11 Identification of Norms-based Programs .................................................................................. 15 Site Selection ............................................................................................................................ 18 Evaluation Methodology ........................................................................................................... 26 Findings ......................................................................................................................................... 29 Conclusions ................................................................................................................................... 44 Works Cited .................................................................................................................................. 50 Appendices: A.- Focus Group Report for Target Group B. CareFare materials C. Survey Questions-Pre & Post D. Focus Group Report for M&I Employees and CareFare E. Tables of all pre-test comparisons between Madison-Kipp and M & I Bank Employees F. Tables of all comparisons for pre and post intervention among M & I Bank Employees G. Tables of all comparisons for pre and post intervention among Madison-Kipp employees i Executive Summary Gratifying progress has been made in the last decade or more in reducing alcohol-related traffic fatalities. In fact, the alcohol-related fatality rate in 1999 was 38 percent, dramatically lower than the 57.3 percent rate in 1982 (U.S.D.O.T. 2000). Social norms concerning drinking and driving have undergone a dramatic transformation, with far more Americans recognizing impaired driving as a dangerous and even anti-social behavior (NHTSA 1998). Programs that capitalize on changing norms have the potential to augment deterrence-based countermeasures. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) funded the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE) to carry out, develop, and pilot test a program to prevent drinking and driving that is based in norms against drinking and driving. This project was intended to take advantage of the significant contribution that social norms have made in the reductions in impaired driving, as well as of the knowledge generated by previous projects funded by NHTSA investigating various aspects of normative change. The pilot program modified an existing alternative transportation program, CareFare, which provides low-cost taxi rides to prevent driving after drinking. Based on this understanding of the potential role of norms in the prevention of drinking and driving, this project: • Defined a target group, • Explored the characteristics and current norms of the target group through a series of focus groups, • Identified possible countermeasures based on social norms, • Selected a program site, • Implemented countermeasures, 1 • Monitored the implementation process, and • Measured outcomes. Methodology The Characteristics and Norms of the Target Group Based on a nationwide survey of drivers who drink (NHTSA 1998), NHTSA identified several parameters of age, sex, educational attainment, and occupation as.being of particular relevance to the probability. that impaired driving would occur and in the design of potentially effective countermeasures. For this project,.a decision was made.to focus on drivers between the ages of. 24 and 49. It was also decided that the differences between blue and white-collar workers in their beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors were worth.exploring to determine the potential suitability. of countermeasures. Therefore, the target group for ,this, project included samples of two groups of employed drivers-one from a white-collar employer and one from a blue-collar employer. I Focus group discussions with a sample of this target population were conducted to explore the participants' perceptions, opinions, attitudes, and beliefs about impaired driving and to determine how these characteristics and norms could be incorporated into an appropriate countermeasure. Program Description Based on the results of the focus groups, an alternative transportation program to prevent impaired driving was selected to be implemented through the employer. The employer was seen as a particularly promising venue for the alternative transportation program because the target population age group (24-49) appears to be very career-focused and concerned with the potential impact that impaired driving might have on employment. The employer-based program was implemented in Madison, Wisconsin in conjunction with an ongoing community-based program, 2 Real Behind the Wheel, with a normative theme designed to draw attention to the positive aspects of driving sober. One of the key components of the community program was to make available half-priced taxi coupons to be used on occasions when the participant had been drinking.