COUNTRY: UNITED STATES
REGION: AMERICAS
Implementer: Montgomery County, OH; Juvenile Court System, the Miami Valley Hospital, Dayton; OH’s Level I Trauma Program; Wright State University Department of Surgery’s Injury Prevention Center
Partners:
Program Overview: The Drive Alive (DA) program is a comprehensive juvenile prevention program that highlights risky drinking behavior and consequences.
Program Design: This program is a 4-week, 10-hour intervention program designed for adolescents who had been involved in moderate to severe traffic violations. The content of the sessions includes simulated trauma bay resuscitation, an emergency department tour, drug and alcohol education, and interactive forums with physical, occupational and speech therapists. Presentations by a state highway patrol trooper and by survivors of severe trauma are also part of the core content.
Evaluation: Comparisons in the recidivism rate between the DA group (n=488) and control group (n=458) were made at 6-month intervals for 60 months. Recidivism was defined as the commission of at least one recorded traffic infraction after completion in the DA group and case sentencing date in the control group.
Key findings: In a previous study, the program demonstrated a reduction in traffic offense recidivism in the 6-month period after completion compared to a control group (Ekeh et al., 2008).
-Consistent with prior results, the interactive intervention for juvenile driving offenders resulted in a reduction in driving-related offenses for the first 6 months after completion. This effect, however, is lost at longer follow up.
-Further research could evaluate the effectiveness of the program if implemented with booster interventions at intervals after the first 6 months.
Program Website:
References:
Ekeh, A.P., Hamilton, S.B., D’Souza, C., Everrett, E., & McCarthy, M.C. (2011). Long-term evaluation of a trauma center-based juvenile driving intervention program. The Journal of Trauma, 71(1), 223-227.
Ekeh, A.P., Hamilton, S.B., Demko, D., & McCarthy, M.C. (2008). The effect of a trauma center-based intervention program on recidivism among adolescent driving offenders. The Journal of Trauma, 65(5), 1117-1120.
Target Audience: Drink driving offenders
Issues: Drinking and Driving
Setting: Remedial Drink Driving Programs
Approach: Multi-Component
