PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
According to state and national statistics, male drivers 21 to 34 years old are historically over-represented in motor vehicle crashes, fatalities, and injuries involving impaired driving.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The goal of the California Sports Marketing Program, as developed by the California Office of Traffic Safety, was the reduction of alcohol-related traffic crashes resulting in fatalities and injuries among male drivers in the affected age group. Objectives of the program included:

• Establishing partnerships with a variety of professional sports teams in California
• Developing a marketing plan to meet the goal

STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
California hosts seventeen professional sports teams, including representatives of the National Football League, Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, Major League Soccer and the National Hockey League. Events sponsored by these teams support attendance from 8,000 to 75,000 fans—a majority of whom are males 21–34 years old.

An alliance was formed between the Office of Traffic Safety and these sports teams, which was the catalyst for many activities marketing traffic safety to the targeted population. A professional public relations firm was hired to develop the marketing strategy.

Activities associated with the Sports Marketing Program included:

• In the first year of the alliance, four of California's sports teams supported the National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month (3D Month) campaign. During December, these teams displayed scoreboard messages and made stadium announcements asking fans to, "Take a stand against impaired driving during 3D Month." In addition, three of the teams helped to produce public service announcements (PSAs), which were provided free-of-charge by the San Jose Police Department, and distributed to all area television stations. The PSAs were also featured on the participating teams' video scoreboards during games. The PSA spots were seen by one million Californians.
• One of the NBA teams sponsored a half-time game event to promote 3D Month and "Lights on for Life" day. The event featured a performance by the award-winning "Zero Tolerance Crew," a well-known rap artist and dance group, that frequently appears at high school events
• In the second year of the Sports Marketing Program, additional teams joined the partnership, agreeing to feature scoreboard messages, make stadium announcements and produce PSAs in support of traffic safety. The campaigns for which the teams lent their support included "Buckle Up America!" Week, "Wake Up California!" week, "Speed Kills," and "Don't Drink and Drive"
• The partnership sponsored the first "Traffic Safety Day" prior to, and during a baseball game at Anaheim Stadium. New PSAs were shown on the video scoreboard, the Office of Traffic Safety sponsored a traffic safety exhibit, numerous local law enforcement officials were on hand to show support for the effort and more than 3,000 people received information on traffic safety
• As the marketing effort was embraced by other teams, additional support was garnered from the community, including free PSA production by local companies
• The partnership has begun to produce PSAs targeted to the Hispanic/Latino community

RESULTS Impaired driving data in California for 1996 indicate a decrease in DUI alcohol-related crashes from 960 in 1995 to 941 in 1996. Alcohol-related fatalities also dropped from 608 in 1995 to 590 in 1996.

FUNDING   Section 402: $135,008 CONTACT     Freda Radich State of California Office of Traffic Safety 000 Franklin Blvd., Suite 440 Sacramento, CA 95823 (916) 262–2975