PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION

Independence, Missouri, has a stretch of roadway about three miles long where youths (15-20 years of age) congregate in very large numbers. Several thousand youths from all over the Kansas City metropolitan area frequent this location as a cruising spot. The largest numbers of youths are found on Friday and Saturday evenings from late spring to early fall. In 1995, there were 23 alcohol- and drug-related crashes in this area involving drivers 16-19 years of age. Three youths were killed and 153 were injured.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The project's goal was to reduce traffic crashes and injuries to teens in the Kansas City metropolitan area and to provide increased enforcement and police visibility by removing young impaired drivers. The objectives were to:

• Increase the total number of impaired driving arrests of offenders under age 21 by 10 percent (over 1995 statistics)
• Increase all traffic arrests of offenders under age 21 by 10 percent (over 1995 statistics).

STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES

In order to deal in a more effective way with the underage drinking, drug use and traffic violations committed by area teens, the Independence Police Department decided to target up to 30 different nights between May and September 1996, when kids were more apt to be out and congregating. On those nights, the police department would operate a youth-oriented DWI enforcement project that they called "Arrive Alive." Most of the nights would fall on a Friday or a Saturday.

The project would start at 9:00 p.m. and conclude at 2:00 a.m. One supervisor and five officers would patrol the heavily traveled areas frequented by youthful offenders. Their goal would be to seek out impaired drivers, to enforce traffic laws and to promote seat belt use. Prior to the start of the project, a media release would announce the project to build awareness and to inform the teens of the crackdown. At the conclusion of the project, a media release would report the successes of the entire campaign.

RESULTS

From May 17, 1996, to September 30, 1996, the "Arrive Alive" project issued 1,032 traffic citations. Ten percent (109) were for alcohol-related offenses. Of the other traffic citations issued, 239 were for seat belts, 75 were for speeding, 108 were for vehicle registration and 43 were for disobeying stop signs. Other infractions included careless driving, following too close and driver license, as well as other hazardous and non-hazardous traffic violations. In addition, there were 109 misdemeanor criminal violations and 22 felony violations.

The comparison of 1995 and 1996 statistics for the May to September time period is as follows:

Violation	1995 Total	1996 Total
DWI arrests after crashes	107	109
DWI arrests, non-crash related	268	390
Liquor law violations	72	116

Of the DWI arrests, 76 were made under the grant, 25 of those arrested were under 21. Thirty-six of the liquor law violations were under the grant.

The Independence Police Department felt that the activity was very successful and has secured funding to repeat the project in 1997.