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Project
Characteristics |
Innovative
Youth Alcohol Consumption
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Program
Areas |
| Alcohol and Other Drugs |
Type
of Jurisdiction |
| Metropolitan Area |
Targeted
Population |
| Youth ages 16-25 |
Jurisdiction
Size |
| 60,000 |
Funding |
NHTSA/WisDOT: $72,086
Private: $13,300
Police Dept. Match: $222,800
Anticipated: $30,000 |
Contact |
Blinda Beason
Youth Alcohol Prog. Mgr.
Bureau of Traffic Safety, DOT
4802 Sheboygan Avenue
Room 951
P.O. Box 7936
Madison, WI 53707-7936
(608) 264-7337
blinda.beason@dot.state.wi.us
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Digest
Listing
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WISCONSIN
Youth Alcohol
Enforcement and Education Road R.A.V.E.
PDF
Version
PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
The city of Madison has been experiencing an
increase in underage alcohol consumption and other related offenses. From
January 1999 through June 1999, there were 160 crashes involving alcohol with
one fatality. During the same timeframe in 2000, there were 237 crashes
involving alcohol with five fatalities. By the end of 2000, there were ten
traffic fatalities, seven of which involved underage drivers who had consumed
alcohol prior to the crash.
For the last two years, young people between the
ages of 16-25 accounted for 30 percent of the OWI (Operating While Intoxicated)
arrests in the Madison area. The City of Madison Traffic Engineering Division's
Operations and Safety Unit reported in the 1999 annual crash report that
Madison must make reducing the number of traffic crashes and injuries involving
drivers under the influence of alcohol and drugs a priority.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The goal of the Youth Alcohol Enforcement and Education Road
R.A.V.E. (Reducing Alcohol Violations through Education) program is to expand
all efforts to reduce the number of underage alcohol violations and other
problems attributed to underage drinking through a combination of education,
enforcement, and innovative promotional programs.
The program's intermediate objectives include:
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Reduce alcohol related fatalities and crashes by 10 percent
and increase arrests by 10 percent;
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Enhance relations with youth through proactive education
approaches; and
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Enforce youth alcohol violations to reduce these violations
and other problems attributed to underage drinking.
STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
The Youth Alcohol Enforcement and Education Road R.A.V.E.
program combines promotional events that include fun activities such as
foosball, pool, climbing wall, and basketball, with education and enforcement
components conducted by the Madison Police Department and the University of
Wisconsin Police Department. Other activities included:
Conducted three Road R.A.V.E. events. Local merchants
provided food, entertainment, and prizes to be given away during the event. Encouraged youth to view and participate in educational
seminars to be eligible for various prizes given away during the event. Worked with the Madison Police Department's T.E.S.T.
(Traffic Enforcement Safety Team) Unit to reconfigure a Ford Explorer
Sport-Trac as an OWI vehicle (also known as the known as the SAV-U truck) to
create greater visibility within the community and reinforce the importance of
the dangers and risks of impaired driving through enforcement and education. Encouraged youth to sign the I-Pledge form, which is a
contract containing a pledge not to drink and drive, to always wear a seatbelt,
and not to make destructive decisions. Used the signed I-Pledge form as an entry form required to
be eligible for prizes given away every 15 minutes during the Road R.A.V.E.
events. Gave drivers with the I-Pledge window static sticker in
their car windows the opportunity to win a prize if they are spotted driving
safely by Madison police officers. A Madison police officer may record the
license plate information and place the license number on the website, making
the driver eligible for prizes. Mobilized from four to seven extra patrol officers as
part of its enforcement (T.E.S.T. Unit) effort. The patrols specifically target
removing impaired drivers from Madison streets and highways every Friday and
Saturday night.
RESULTS
The following results were achieved as of June 2002:
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