888-Under 21 Project
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PENNSYLVANIA
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PROJECT CHARACTERISTICS |
PROGRAM AREA(S) |
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Outstanding collaborative effort |
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Youth Programs |
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Targets hard-to-reach/at risk population |
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Alcohol and Other Drugs |
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TYPE OF JURISDICTION |
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County |
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TARGETED POPULATION(S) |
JURISDICTION SIZE |
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Youth |
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154,000 |
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PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
In 1990, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania
implemented an aggressive enforcement and intervention program to reduce
the incidence of alcohol-related highway safety problems in the county.
This program was successful in reducing crashes, fatalities, and injuries
for the general population over a five-year period, however, alcohol-related
safety problems involving youth (under 21 years-old), during the same five-year
period, actually increased by 12 percent. From 1990 to 1995, 25 youth were
killed and 289 were injured in alcohol-related crashes in Schuylkill County.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
In response to these discouraging statistics, the 888Under 21 Project was
initiated in 1996. The project's goal was to reduce the incidence of alcohol-related
crashes, fatalities, and injuries in youth under the age of 21, through
the following objectives:
- Development of an educational campaign targeting
youth
- Use of standardized enforcement operations
targeting Schuylkill County youth
- Development of a community coalition
STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
The 888-Under 21 Project was developed and organized by the North Central
Highway Safety Network, a Community Traffic Safety Program sponsored by
the Schuylkill County Board of Commissioners. The Network employed several
strategies to reach their goal:
- One of the initial activities of the Network
was to establish a toll-free telephone number for reporting illegal drinking
activities by youth. This toll-free number, 888Under 21, became the name
of the project
- The Network then formed a Community Action
Committee of parents, clergy, media, businesses, schools, Parent Teacher
Associations (PTAs), athletic coaches, and health care professionals which
served as the coordinating body for all activities under the 888Under 21
Project. The media were key participants of the committee, developing and
airing public service announcements and featuring the activities of the
888Under 21 Project in more than 30 newspaper stories, editorials and articles
- An Educational Action Committee was organized
and tasked with coordinating an educational campaign that would target
county students in grades 6 through 12. The campaign was led by Students
Against Drugs and Alcohol (SADA), who developed a "World Tour Mock
Concert" and distributed free tickets to over 14,000 students in 22
county schools. The tickets advertised the 888Under 21 toll-free number
and provided information on Pennsylvania's underage drinking law. The tickets
also included a pledge to remain alcohol-free and not accept rides with
impaired drivers. One student from each of the participating schools was
selected to receive real concert tickets. In a special program aired on
a local radio station, a lucky student from among the 22 winners was selected
as the grand prize winner and awarded additional concert tickets, spending
money, and a limousine ride to the concert of their choice
- The Network coordinated a countywide coalition
of police departments with demonstrated success in development and use
of "roving underage drinking patrols" to identify underage drinking
party sites
- The final activity of this campaign was the
distribution of "No Use" alcohol pins and "Zero Tolerance"
information to each of the participating school districts' alcohol intervention
groups
RESULTS
Using tips from callers to the 888Under
21 number, police raided three underage drinking parties in 1996, resulting
in 50 arrests.
Youth alcohol-involved crashes during 1996 totaled 45, a 22 percent reduction
over the 1995 total of 54. |
FUNDING |
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Section 402: |
$12,500 |
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Private: |
$11,600 |
CONTACT |
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Mark A. Alonge
Regional Director
North Central Highway Safety Network
112 S. Claude A. Lord Blvd.
Pottsville, PA 17901
(717) 628-2414 |
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National Highway Traffic Safety Administration |
Summer 1997 |