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The Nation's New Intervention Strategy to
Stop Impaired Driving
Impaired driving is a serious problem in the United States, killing thousands every year. Reductions in alcohol related traffic deaths occurred in the 1980's and early 90's, but progress has stalled since then. In fact, the numbers are beginning to rise. In an effort to once again move the numbers in the right direction, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has identified three priority initiatives to help reduce driving while impaired (DWI) and to focus greater attention on the impaired driving problem. Implementation of these initiatives will support and involve active participation of law enforcement, prosecutors, courts, and medical and health care professionals. These three priority initiatives are: (1) high visibility enforcement; (2) support for prosecutors and DWI courts; and (3) alcohol screening and brief intervention.
NHTSA supports wide-spread alcohol screening in the following ways:
1. Medical Settings
NHTSA has partnered with the following organizations to create materials which promote alcohol screening implementation:
NHTSA has also compiled a list of training resources for medical personnel interested in learning how to conduct alcohol screenings.
2. Community Alcohol Screening
Through the promotion of Alcohol Screening.org and our work with the American Public Health Association , we encourage individuals to self-screen and community-based organizations to spread the word that alcohol screening is quick, easy and acceptable.
Using the Alcohol Screening Planner is a great way to bring Alcohol Screening.org to your community. Increased understanding of low risk drinking limits www.niaaa.nih.gov and increasing the discussions about alcohol use and misuse are two goals for the community based work. Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention Overview
Federal Partnerships
NHTSA collaborates with the Centers for Disease Control, the National Institute for Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration and the National Institute of Drug Abuse on a variety of projects which promote the effective use of screening and brief intervention.
NHTSA Reports
NHTSA produces some materials on Screening & Brief Interventions.
Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention in
the Medical Setting
For many people within the target populations for drunk driving, their only interaction with the health care system
is with Emergency Medical Services (EMS).
Addressing
Alcohol-Impaired Driving: Training Physicians to Detect
and Counsel Their Patients
Who Drink Heavily
Alcohol is the most common chronic
disease in trauma patients, and one of the most common in
patients treated in primary care. The goal of this project
was to address alcohol abuse at the individual level and
at the community level.
Screening and Brief
Intervention Tool Kit
for College and
University Campuses
It is estimated that 1,700 college students between the age 18 and 24 die each year from alcohol-related unintentional injuries, including motor vehicle crashes. Additionally, nearly 600,000 students are unintentionally injured under the influence of alcohol. High-risk drinking behaviors also contribute to negative academic consequences, alcohol related health problems and students’ suicide attempts. This Tool Kit contains instructions for conducting a brief screening; the AUDIT instrument for screening; handouts on the effects of alcohol, lower-risk drinking strategies and recommended drinking guidelines; kit evaluation form to provide feedback for future improvement; and
Flyer to advertise free screening event
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