Policies and Programs for the 1990's
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ILLINOIS
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PROJECT CHARACTERISTICS |
PROGRAM AREA(S) |
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Outstanding collaborative effort |
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Alcohol and Other Drugs |
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Targets hard-to-reach/at risk population |
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Youth Programs |
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TYPE OF JURISDICTION |
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State |
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TARGETED POPULATION(S) |
JURISDICTION SIZE |
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High School and College Students |
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11,846,544 |
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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:
- Establish a collaborative partnership with the
local community, including elected officials, police, substance abuse prevention
agencies and grassroots community groups
- Create a strategy for implementing prevention
programs in the community
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:
- Working with local law enforcement, emergency
services, and media to re-enact alcohol-related crashes on campus
- Conducting intervention panels in which members
of the judicial system, substance abuse treatment professionals, and the
university system present a step-by-step case study and analysis of the
cost of being charged with impaired driving
- Creating traffic safety/drug abuse prevention
programs uniquely designed for the college population
- Hosting annual Campus Alcohol and Traffic
Safety (CATS) conferences to promote networking and focus attention on
the problem of impaired driving
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 Simulatorapproximately 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 |
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Section 410: |
$245,000 |
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Local: |
$236,380 |
CONTACT |
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John Moulton
Illinois Department of Transportation
Division of Traffic Safety
3215 Executive Park Drive
Springfield, IL 62794
(217) 7853038 |
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National Highway Traffic Safety Administration |
Fall 1997 |