Reducing Alcohol-impaired Driving: Multicomponent Interventions with Community Mobilization
Multicomponent interventions to reduce alcohol-impaired driving can include any or all of a number of components, such as sobriety checkpoints, training in responsible beverage service, education and awareness-raising efforts, and limiting access to alcohol. Interventions that qualified for this review (1) implemented multiple programs and/or policies in multiple settings to effect the community environment to reduce alcohol-impaired driving, and (2) included participation of active community coalitions or task forces in their design or execution (community mobilization).
Task Force Recommendations & Findings
The Task Force on Community Preventive Services recommends the use of multicomponent interventions with community mobilization on the basis of strong evidence of their effectiveness in reducing alcohol-impaired driving.
Results from the Systematic Reviews
Six studies qualified for the systematic review.- Fatal crash outcomes: decreased 9% and 42% (2 studies)
- Nighttime injury crashes: decreased 10% (1 study)
- Crashes among drivers aged 16–20: decreased 45% (1 study)
- There was a small decrease in the rate of crashes among drivers under 21 years of age, however, the actual number of crashes was not reported and the percentage change could not be calculated (1 study).
- Evaluation follow-up periods ranged from 2 to 10 years (median 4 years).
- The reviewed interventions addressed a range of alcohol-related concerns including alcohol-impaired driving, excessive drinking, underage drinking, alcohol-related injuries, and increasing access to alcohol treatment.
- Interventions included responsible beverage service programs and other efforts to limit access to alcohol, such as regulations controlling alcohol outlet density and enforcement of minimum legal drinking age laws (6 studies); sobriety checkpoints (5 studies); awareness or educational campaigns (5 studies); attention to other driving risks, such as speeding (2 studies); and improved access to alcohol treatment (2 studies).
- Most intervention communities had populations between 50,000–100,000. Two cities had populations greater than 500,000.
These results are based on a systematic review of all available studies led by scientists from CDC’s Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention with input from a team of specialists in systematic review methods and experts in research, practice and policy related to reducing alcohol-impaired driving.
Supporting Materials
Publications
Shults RA, Elder RW, Nichols JL, Sleet DA, Compton R, Chattopadhyay SK, Task Force on Community Preventive Services. Effectiveness of multicomponent programs with community mobilization for reducing alcohol-impaired driving. Am J Prev Med 2009;37(4):360-71.
More Community Guide publications about the Prevention of Motor Vehicle-related Injuries
Disclaimer
The findings and conclusions on this page are those of the Task Force on Community Preventive Services and do not necessarily represent those of CDC.
Sample Citation
The content of publications of the Guide to Community Preventive Services is in the public domain. Citation as to source, however, is appreciated. Sample citation:
Guide to Community Preventive Services. Reducing alcohol-impaired driving: multicomponent interventions with community mobilization www.thecommunityguide.org/mvoi/multicomponent.html. Last updated: MM/DD/YYYY.
Review completed: June 2009
- Page last reviewed: March 8, 2010
- Page last updated: March 8, 2010
- Content source: The Guide to Community Preventive Services
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