Analysis of Effective Drunk-Driving Campaigns Targeted at Adolescent Drivers Aged 16-19 Years
According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administrationstatistics, 16,653 people died in alcohol-related crashes in 2000, anincrease of more than 800 deaths from 1999. This represented the largestpercentage increase on record. According to some estimates, about two outof every five Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash atsome time in their lives. These tragic statistics dramatically illustratethat drunk driving continues to represent a serious problem in the UnitedStates today. Perhaps even more alarming still are the statisticsconcerning teenage drinking and driving. Studies have shown that between14 and 27 percent of teenagers drink and drive, and that as many as 15percent drive after engaging in binge drinking. Research has also shownthat preventions campaigns can play a more significant role in reducing theincidence of drinking and driving in the teenage population. This paperwill provide an overview of how the media has been used to promoteprosocial behaviors in general, followed by an analysis of the ethicalconsiderations involved in such campaigns. An assessment of the incidenceof teenage drinking and driving today and an examination of differen
Despite the abundance of research on the negative effects oftelevision, research has also consistently demonstrated that the popularmedia can have important prosocial effects on the public. To this end, the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse hasdeveloped a campaign called "2young2drink," that features billboards, ahotline, and a program known as "Shattered Dreams. The study, mandated byCongress, acknowledged that teenagers obtain their alcohol from adults,either directly or indirectly, and efforts to resolve the problem need tofocus on adults and society at large. The teenaged offender's probation officer found shamingparticularly appealing for this age group: "You're not sending someone awayisolated with peers; you're putting someone in the community and exposinghim. 7 million students in grades 7-12currently drink alcohol; furthermore, of the 10. Underage drinking also is linked to suicide, educationaldifficulties, violence and sexual activity" (20). Given that media campaigns designed to remediate a social illare ethical, then, their application to the problem of teenage drinking anddriving can assume the important role it deserves in stemming the incidenceand enormous consequences among this population. Incidence of Drunk-Driving in Targeted Population.
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