Policies and Programs for the 1990's

ILLINOIS

PROJECT CHARACTERISTICS PROGRAM AREA(S)
  Outstanding collaborative effort   Alcohol and Other Drugs
  Targets hard-to-reach/at risk population    Youth Programs 
       
TYPE OF JURISDICTION    
  State    
       
TARGETED POPULATION(S) JURISDICTION SIZE
  High School and College Students   11,846,544


PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
Youthful drivers historically have been overrepresented in Illinois crash statistics. Although drivers ages 16 to 24 years old represent 15 percent of all licensed drivers in the state, this same age group is involved in 33 percent of all alcohol-related crashes. Data collected by the Core Institute for college students in Illinois indicate that 41 percent of college students in Illinois who report using alcohol drink to intoxication or binge. Moreover, more than 35 percent of students who drink, report having driven a car while under the influence of alcohol.


GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The Eastern Illinois University, Office of Safety Programs developed the Policies and Programs for the 1990's project with the goal of reducing the incidence of impaired driving among youth. The university developed the following objectives to aid in reaching their goal:

STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
Initiated in 1990, the Policies and Programs for the 1990's project serves fifty colleges and universities statewide, and also targets high school students. The key strategy employed by the university is using a team approach to train college and university students and staff in alcohol and drug abuse prevention.

The training programs focus on building partnerships from among health and wellness stakeholders throughout Illinois, and using the combined expertise of these partnerships to Policies and Programs for the 1990's help colleges and universities develop successful strategies for their campus communities. Examples of these programs include:

RESULTS
As a result of this project, colleges and universities statewide are involved in prevention activities. Examples of prevention programs sponsored by campuses include:

  • The College of Lake County hosted the Plymouth Neon Drunk Driving Simulator—approximately 200 high school and college students participated
  • Illinois Central College's Alcohol Drug Abuse Prevention Team (ADAPT) has sponsored activities including a Red Ribbon Challenge, a "mocktail" party, a Blues Against Booze event, and the World's Second Largest Sober Party
  • A small private school, Illinois College in Jacksonville, was the 1996 winner of the BACCHUS (Boosting Alcohol Consumption Concerning the Health of University Students) Outstanding Chapter of the Year award

Colleges and universities participating in the Policies and Programs for the 1990's project are linked through the newsletter, Campus Community Connection, which shares information on outstanding alcohol and other drug abuse programs.

FUNDING
  Section 410:

$245,000

  Local: 

 $236,380

CONTACT  
  John Moulton
Illinois Department of Transportation
Division of Traffic Safety
3215 Executive Park Drive
Springfield, IL 62794
(217) 785–3038


National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Fall 1997