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Effect of Designated Driver Programs Questioned
May 20, 2005

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Research Summary

The few existing studies of designated-driver programs offer little evidence that they are effective in reducing drunk driving, according to a new report from the U.S. Task Force on Community Preventive Services.

Medical Study News reported May 19 that a research review conducted by Randy Elder and colleagues found that while publicity campaigns may lead to small, temporary increases in use of designated drivers, few studies offered any indication that designated-driver programs cut drunk driving. Further, the group could find no studies on whether designated-driver programs led to a decrease in alcohol-related car crashes or injuries.

One campaign study, for example, showed a 13-percent increase in the number of people who said they would use a designated driver, but found no change in the percentage of people who drove drunk or rode with someone who had been drinking. Studies of programs that offered free food or drinks to designated drivers showed some positive results, but these disappeared as soon as the giveaways ended.

Elder said that few designated drivers actually abstain from drinking. "In some cases, the designated driver may be chosen based on who among the group is the least intoxicated," Elder says. "When an intended designated driver becomes intoxicated, this leaves group members with a difficult choice between having the least drunk person drive them home or arranging for alternative transportation."

The panel also found that while school-based programs urging children not to ride in cars driven by people who have been drinking seem to be effective, they don't appear to decrease teen drunk driving.

The study was published in the June 2005 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Elder, J., et al. (2005) Effectiveness of School-Based Programs for Reducing Drinking and Driving and Riding with Drinking Drivers: A Systematic Review. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Supplement 1, 28(5): 288-304.

COMMENTS ON THIS ARTICLE:

Posted by megan on 29 Apr 08 09:21 AM EDT
i dont think that having a designated driver is always effective , 3 of my close friends just died in a car accident while 1 of them was indeed a designated driver

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