GEORGIA
CHOICE

 

PROJECT CHARACTERISTICS PROGRAM AREA(S)
  Targets hard-to-reach/at risk population
Innovative or non-traditional approach
  Youth Programs
Alcohol and Other Drugs
       
TYPE OF JURISDICTION    
  County    
       
TARGETED POPULATION(S) JURISDICTION SIZE
  High School Students   761,958


PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
According to data from the Georgia Department of Public Safety, impaired drivers were involved in an average of 27 motor vehicle crashes every day in 1998. These crashes resulted in 8,359 injuries and 498 deaths. Drivers license suspensions for impaired motorists ages 16 to 17 increased 43 percent, and 114 percent for drivers ages 18 to 20 in 1998. Further, motorists ages 16 to 17 were involved in 199 of the total 9,778 crashes, resulting in 202 injuries, and 10 fatalities. Although a wide variety of studies have determined that alcohol-involvement increases the severity of motor vehicle crashes, impaired driving remains a constant factor in serious traffic crashes.

Professionals in the field of prevention generally agree that the most effective approach to reducing alcohol and other drug problems is through innovative educational methods and law enforcement. To address the disturbing incidence of impaired driving among Georgia youth, the Georgia Governor's Office of Highway Safety sought to create a tool to provide high school students with a positive choice.


GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The CHOICE program was developed in 1999 to reduce impaired driving among Georgia adolescents ages 15 to 18, using a new and innovative educating mechanism—a theatrical dramatization. Specific objectives of the program are to:

  • Foster change in negative behaviors and beliefs regarding impaired driving in high schools, where students are most at risk for using drugs and alcohol while operating a vehicle
  • Increase awareness of Georgia's impaired driving laws among students and their parents
  • Reduce the potential for impaired driving crashes among students in the targeted schools, during and after prom season
  • Provide education and information concerning teen driving laws in Georgia.
  • Present an open forum for parents and their teenagers to discuss substance abuse and driving


STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
The Georgia Governor's Office of Highway Safety contracted with Arch Productions, Inc. To produce CHOICE, a 35-minute theatrical production about impaired driving. CHOICE depicts five young people who are seduced by the false sense of euphoria produced by alcohol and drugs. It portrays the dangers of abuse, changes in behavior, and denial of personal responsibility. CHOICE also demonstrates to young people that they do have a choice concerning the use of alcohol and drugs, especially while operating an automobile.

CHOICE is performed during high school assemblies throughout Fulton County, Georgia. Following the performance, a forum is held between the cast and audience. Many students experience an emotional connection as a result of the production's youth-to-youth portrayal, and consider re-evaluating their choices. CHOICE actors who share their success in developing new behaviors and abandoning old ones, provide a source of hope, inspiration and encouragement for program participants.



RESULTS
To assess the effectiveness of CHOICE, students complete pre- and post-production surveys. During 2000, a total of 1,000 questionnaires were distributed and returned at 5 participating county schools. The results strongly indicate that CHOICE has impacted the opinions and resolutions of student participants. Specifically, prior to seeing the production, 73 percent of the 500 students polled, indicated that they were unlikely to drive under the influence of alcohol or other drugs, as compared to 90 percent post-production. Similarly, 72 percent of pre-performance participants indicated that they were unlikely to be in a car when the driver is intoxicated or high; compared with 86 percent post-performance. A total of 82 percent of the respondents endorsed the presentation of CHOICE at additional schools, and 65 percent believed that CHOICE was more effective than other drug and alcohol prevention programs previously presented at the school.

 

FUNDING
  Section 410: $61,700
CONTACT  
 

Spencer R. Moore
Alcohol and Other Drug Countermeasures
Georgia Governor's Office of Highway Safety
One Park Tower
34 Peachtree Street, Suite 1600
Atlanta, GA 30303
(404) 656–6996


NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION

FALL 2000