"You Can't Win" Zero Tolerance Campaign

IOWA

PROJECT CHARACTERISTICS PROGRAM AREA(S)   Targets hard-to-reach/at risk population   Youth Programs   High media visibility   Alcohol and Other Drugs         TYPE OF JURISDICTION       State             TARGETED POPULATION(S) JURISDICTION SIZE   Motorists under age 21   2,829,252

PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
In 1995, the Iowa General Assembly enacted a "zero tolerance" law as a response to the high incidence of motor vehicle crashes involving alcohol and youth under the age of 21. This law permitted Iowa law enforcement officers to apprehend, cite, and confiscate driver's licenses of those motorists under the age of 21 with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .02 or greater. However, the general population (and particularly youth drivers under the age of 21) was largely unaware of the new law and the penalties for violation.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The goal of the "You Can't Win" campaign was to reduce the incidence of alcohol- related crashes, fatalities, and injuries in youth under age 21, through the following objectives:

• Creating general, widespread awareness about the new "zero tolerance" law
• Targeting education on the new "zero tolerance" law to Iowa youth under the age of 21
• Developing a positive public awareness campaign that featured not only penalties for violation of the new law, but also highlighted support for the offender

STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
The "You Can't Win" program to promote the Iowa "zero tolerance" law was developed and implemented in 1995 by the Iowa Governor's Traffic Safety Bureau and featured several strategies and activities:

• An award-winning public relations firm was retained to develop a positive public education campaign to promote the program
• A video was produced and distributed to high schools throughout the state for use in driver education classes. The video, which was distributed before the end of the school year in 1995, contained information about the new "zero tolerance" law and other substance abuse information
• A public service announcement (PSA) using the "You Can't Win" theme was produced and aired over local television. The PSA focused on discouraging youthful drivers from drinking and driving
• PSAs were produced and aired on local radio; public service ads were placed in newspapers; and collateral print material was developed and disseminated to youth drivers outside the public school system

RESULTS During the first full year of enforcement of the Iowa's "zero tolerance" law (June, 1995June, 1996), nearly two thousand licenses of drivers under the age of 21 were revoked. Law enforcement officials agreed that the effort had been instrumental in raising awareness and effecting positive change.

FUNDING   Section 402: $85,000 CONTACT     Carson Whitlow State Program Administrator Governor's Traffic Safety Bureau 307 East Seventh Street Des Moines, IA 50319 (515) 281-8348