Introductory Letter Call To Action Table of Contents Program Brochure Mission Overview Prevention and Public Education Enforcement Prosecution, Adjudication and Treatment Legislation Partnerships Program Management Program Resources Checklist Resource Guide Media Kit Media Tools Fact Sheets Mobilization Hand-Out Logo Slicks

5. Partnerships
Another important component of comprehensive impaired driving programs is to build public-private partnerships at the local, state and national levels. It will take a dedicated effort on all parts to address the broad problems of impaired driving.

Partnerships create opportunities to weave the impaired driving prevention message into America’s consciousness — in the home, throughout communities, at school, in the workplace, on the road, at recreational sites and in the media. When public and private sector organizations join together, it can set the tone and serve as a model to demonstrate that this nation cares about children, families, good health and well-being.

By framing impaired driving as a social disease and a public health issue, public-private partnerships — as well as other links to safe and livable communities — can reach millions of individuals with information about impaired driving issues. State highway safety offices (SHSO), together with the following categories of organizations, focus on impaired driving issues.

A. Advocacy Groups
The dramatic decline in alcohol-related fatalities over the past 20 years has coincided with the advent of local, state and national citizen advocacy groups. On the national level, Remove Intoxicated Drivers (RID), Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) and the National Commission Against Drunk Driving (NCADD) all began in the late 1970s and early 1980s. These and other citizen advocacy groups, with numerous state and local chapters across the country, have been extraordinarily successful in improving state laws, raising public awareness about drinking and driving and supporting effective enforcement and adjudication efforts.

Numerous culturally diverse organizations also have specific interest in this issue, such as the Asian Pacific American Coalition Against Substance Abuse, the National Asian Pacific American Families Against Substance Abuse, Inc., the Latino Council on Alcohol and Tobacco, the National Association of Native American Children of Alcoholics, and the National Black Alcoholism and Addictions Council.

States and communities are encouraged to partner with and support advocacy groups in the following activities:

• Public awareness campaigns in the schools and communities which highlight the dangers and legal consequences of impaired driving and underage drinking;
• Workshops and other training events for criminal justice personnel, including police officials, prosecutors and judges;
• Prevention efforts designed to reduce impaired driving and underage drinking. Examples of such efforts include: alcohol-free prom and graduation events, mock crashes, school assembly programs, "grim reaper" days, "mocktail" receptions, designated driver or safe rides campaigns (for those over 21 years), and other activities designed to provide alternatives to impaired driving and underage drinking;
• State and/or community task forces to assess problems, develop strategic plans and implement action steps; and
• Enforcement efforts that will lead to the detection and arrest of impaired drivers and underage drinkers or those providing alcohol illegally.

B. School Programs
Student programs, including kindergarten through college and trade school, play a critical role in preventing impaired driving.

States and communities are encouraged to:

• Implement K-12 traffic safety education, with appropriate emphasis on impaired driving, as part of a comprehensive health and safety education program;
• Establish and support the activities of student safety clubs and affiliates of national organizations — and create a statewide network similar to the NOYS (National Organizations for Youth Safety) Coalition linking these groups;
• Establish liaisons with higher education institutions to encourage policies to reduce alcohol, other drugs and traffic safety problems on college campuses;
• Promote alcohol and drug-free events throughout the school year, with particular emphasis on high-risk times such as prom, homecoming, spring break, graduation and New Year’s Eve;
• Coordinate closely with anti-drug education efforts and programs with other Federal agencies and national organizations;
• Develop working relationships with school health personnel to provide information to students about a variety of traffic safety and health behaviors; and
• Make effective use of criminal justice, medical or other professionals through presentations in the classroom or assembly programs.

C. Employer Programs
Partners in Progress: An Impaired Driving Guide for Action strategy — Persuade all employers to: implement employee policies regarding impaired driving; engage in responsible hospitality practices wherever alcoholic beverages are sold or served; and support community activities to reduce the human and economic costs of traffic crashes.

The workplace provides an excellent opportunity to reach working-age youth and adults (especially the 21- to 34-year-old target population) with impaired driving messages. Many employers are receptive to information about traffic safety. Many have policies prohibiting alcohol and other drug use while others have comprehensive policies addressing a multitude of traffic safety issues. More and more employers offer health and safety programs, wellness programs and employee assistance programs. States and communities are in a unique position to provide information and technical assistance to employers, encouraging them to offer programs to reduce impaired driving by employees and their families. They can also access the services of the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS) which can provide resources and assistance through their national office or state coordinators.

Employer programs should:

• Collect data and program assessment to identify traffic safety problems (including costs) and issues being experienced in the workplace;
• Provide resources to address identified problems;
• Develop model policies for impaired driving and other traffic safety issues, including safety belt use and speeding;
• Train management to recognize and address alcohol and drug impairment;
• Offer incentives to encourage managers to promote traffic safety and enforce policies and disincentives to those who do not;
• Offer incentives to employees for compliance with policies and disincentives for non-compliance;
• Provide education and treatment referral programs for employees;
• Promote employee awareness activities; and
• Evaluate the effect of the program effort.

States and communities can assist employers to identify their impaired driving and other traffic safety problems, identify the costs they can incur as a result of these problems and design and implement a comprehensive program. States and communities can provide resources in the form of materials, technical assistance and referrals to other organizations such as NETS. Employers should also be familiar with the Federal Highway Administration’s drug and alcohol requirements for commercial motor vehicle drivers. Finally, state and community organizations should consider implementation of these program elements within their own organizations to reduce the crash risk of their employees — as well as lend credibility and the voice of experience when approaching employers.

D. Responsible Alcohol Service
States and communities are encouraged to promote responsible alcohol service policies and practices through social host programs and well-publicized and enforced laws, regulations, policies and education in the retail alcohol service industry (including package stores, restaurants and taverns).

A model program should:

• Implement and enforce initiatives to eliminate the sale or service of alcoholic beverages to those under 21 years of age;
• Promote alcohol server and service programs, including assessments, written policies and training;
• Ensure adequate alcohol control regulations dealing with issues such as service to visibly intoxicated patrons and the elimination of "happy hours" during which free or reduced-price alcoholic beverages are offered (food and non-alcoholic beverages may be offered instead during such times);
• Assure enforcement of alcohol beverage control regulations;
• Promote the display of responsible alcohol use and drinking and driving information in alcohol sales and service establishments;
• Promote participation in designated driver, safe rides and other alternative transportation programs; and
• Publicize that commercial establishments may be held responsible for damages caused by any patron who was served alcohol when visibly or predictably intoxicated.

E. Public Health and Medical Organizations
Partners in Progress: An Impaired Driving Guide for Action strategy — Encourage healthcare providers to: identify and refer to appropriate treatment persons who are at risk of driving impaired; address alcohol use and impaired driving issues in consultations with patients; and champion health and safety related public policy and education efforts.

A comprehensive state and local impaired driving program should involve public health professionals and medical professionals including physicians, nurses, social workers and other healthcare workers — either through national professional associations or individually. Public health and medical professionals are responsible for assessing and addressing public and individual health needs through public health approaches and individual patient care.

These efforts should:

• Include an impaired driving component in state and community health risk assessments;
• Include provision of impaired driving-related data from public health and medical data sources, patient screening and referral programs;
• Provide screening and referral programs in conjunction with prosecutors, judges and public policy activities;
• Encourage peer-to-peer educational efforts to engage other public health and medical professionals;
• Educate public health and medical communities about the impaired driving problem and the role of public health and medical professionals in addressing the problem;
• Provide individual patient and public education for the general public and high risk groups;
• Report blood alcohol concentration by emergency departments; and
• Encourage participation in Safe Communities programs. (See Section G).

F. Elected Officials
Elected officials should be part of a comprehensive program to address impaired driving. Partnership opportunities exist with a variety of elected officials at the national, state and local levels. Elected officials must be responsive to their constituencies. It is important to involve them in portions of the comprehensive program which pertain the most to the citizens of their states, districts, counties or cities.

Suggestions for involving elected officials include:

• Mayors should be included in any community partnerships and coalitions — as well as any programs for prevention and public education. Mayors are often experienced in media advocacy and may be very helpful in press events and public appearances. State, regional and national organizations of mayors may be drawn into partnership or may be able to assist the local elected official in better participating in a comprehensive program.
• City and county officials also are a critical component of a comprehensive program. At the local level, city councils, city managers and county governments — such as county commissioners and boards — are tuned to the needs of their community. They can identify partners and resources, use their insight into the local community to identify problems and find solutions that are tailored to the needs of the community.
• State legislators are a key group of community leaders to include in partnership with state and local programs. In addition to the state and local resources a state legislator may bring into the picture, legislators also have access to the resources of national organizations such as the research and publications of the National Conference of State Legislatures. The community leadership role of the state legislator will contribute greatly to state and local efforts. National and outside resources can not only add to the state or local efforts but also provide the additional impetus to the involvement of state legislators.
• Governors are key elected officials to engage in any comprehensive impaired driving program. As a state program contemplates any legislation, major push or new innovations in impaired driving enforcement, the governor is an essential leader in the fight to reduce deaths and injuries. The governor will also have access to national organizations and resources and may provide the leadership not only in partnerships but also in garnering media support and the support of diverse groups.

G. Diverse Populations
Impaired driving is a problem within all demographic populations but is particularly prevalent among youth and rural audiences, and culturally diverse groups such as Latinos, African Americans, American Indians, Asian /Pacific Islanders and Native Alaskans. Messages and programs designed for "mainstream America" often are not effective for populations most at risk or hardest to reach. Language, cultural, economic and other barriers must be considered to make a significant impact in reducing impaired driving among high-risk groups. Such barriers can be overcome through the development of targeted messages and alternate delivery channels.

Effective messages and channels require the support and cooperation of organizations representing targeted populations to influence their members and constituencies. A comprehensive state and local impaired driving program should include the involvement of — and outreach to — all populations represented in the state and local communities, especially those over-represented in impaired driving crashes.

These efforts should include:

• Inviting representatives to actively participate in program planning activities;
• Collecting and analyzing data to identify problems and trends within diverse populations and communities. Present this information to representative and concerned groups that can influence interest of/by the at-risk population;
• Establishing a working relationship between and among law enforcement, ethnic and racial groups and community representatives to plan and implement enforcement programs with the support of the community;
• Developing and disseminating messages appropriate for the target audience. Include representatives in the process of developing and marketing the messages; and
• Establishing partnerships with organizations that are well respected within the target population.