In 1999, 46 percent of traffic fatalities in Louisiana were alcohol related. This was eight percentage points above the nationwide Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) estimate of 38 percent. In June 1999, Louisiana applied for a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Targets of Opportunity Grant with the hope of reducing alcohol-related fatalities.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The primary goal of this program was to decrease the percentage of alcohol-related fatalities in Louisiana. The Louisiana Highway Safety Commission (LHSC) wanted to:

• Develop a statewide enforcement and media based public information program that would have a substantial impact on reducing alcohol-related fatalities; and

• Create a set of “best practices” that will permit other jurisdictions to apply effective approaches for reducing impaired driving crashes.

STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES

• In September 1999, Louisiana was selected to be one of five states to receive the NHTSA Targets of Opportunity: State Demonstration and Evaluation Program to Reduce Alcohol Related Crashes project. This was a 30-month project with a total federal funding of $1 million per state.

• The LHSC was the implementing state agency chosen to select the 16 parishes with the highest three-year average (1995 - 1997) of alcohol-related fatalities for specified DWI enforcement and public information activities.

• LHSC contracted with a Project Director to supervise and coordinate all aspects of this project. The Louisiana State Police (LSP) was the primary enforcement agency to conduct specified activities during the project. Over 110 law enforcement agencies from the 16 targeted parishes also participated. The LSP and two contracted media/public relations firms developed the media and public information campaign. Louisiana State University was contracted to conduct a data analysis and develop an evaluation plan.

• Purchased various types of equipment and material in support of the detection, apprehension and prosecution of impaired drivers. This included in-car video cameras, videotapes, digital cameras, film, portable breath testers (PBTs), display boards, Standardized Field Sobriety Tests (SFST) Pocket Manuals, SFST Course Student Manuals, Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) Training Equipment Packages, multimedia projectors and screens, and computer scanners.

• Supported the public information and education component including radio and television public service announcements (PSAs), billboards, and pamphlets. Extensive media research and social marketing was conducted to determine a strategy for maximizing exposure of this program. The program was called “You Drink and Drive. You Lose”. All statewide and regional media messages were created around this theme.

• LSP conducted over 217 DWI saturation patrols and sobriety checkpoints from July 2000 through September 2001 in the targeted 16 parishes. Patrols were conducted on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights. Also, over 110 law enforcement agencies from the 16 targeted parishes conducted Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) saturation patrols and sobriety checkpoints during the major holiday periods during the same time period. The dates and times of these DWI enforcement efforts were publicized through local media.

• Conducted the following law enforcement training:

  - Certified 60 officers as SFST Instructors, and provided SFST Refresher Courses for 36 SFST Instructors

  - Certified 25 officers as DREs

  - Conducted DWI Investigator Courses for 299 officers and 9 prosecutors

  - Conducted a Sobriety Checkpoint Training Course for 50 officers

RESULTS

When the 30-month Targets of Opportunity Project ended, the crash data revealed a 17.4 percent alcohol-related fatality reduction in the 16 targeted parishes. During the same time period, there was an overall 3.2 percent decrease in alcohol-related fatalities in the other 48 Louisiana parishes. The Final Analysis Report and a Best Practices Report will be posted on the Traffic Issues - a Guide for Enforcement Resources (TIGER) web site at http://www.dps.state.la.us/tiger.