Montana’s MOST of Us Don’t Drink and Drive Campaign: A Social Norms Strategy to Reduce Impaired Driving Among 21-34-Year-Olds

This report presents the results of a demonstration project to test the efficacy of a high-intensity social norms media intervention to reduce the prevalence of driving after drinking among 21 to 34-year-olds living in western Montana. A baseline survey was conducted to collect self-reported data on the target population’s behavior with respect to impaired driving, as well as on their perceptions of the behavior of their peers. Normative messages and media were developed from these data. Each survey gathered information on respondents’ exposure to the campaign message, and on their perceptions and reported behaviors regarding driving after drinking. The campaign successfully reduced the target population’s misperceptions of the frequency of impaired driving among their peers. The change in perceptions was associated with a change in reported behavior. In the target area there was a 13.7-percent relative decrease in the percentage that reported driving after drinking and a 15-percent relative increase in the percentage that reported always using non-drinking designated drivers. A high-intensity paid media social norms intervention can be successful on a statewide scale, across a wide variety of measures including perceptions, reported behaviors, attitudes, and support for policy. However, additional research is warranted to corroberate the self-reported behaviors with changes in the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of arrested drivers or numbers of alcohol-related fatalities.

• 
• Corporate Authors:

  Montana State University, Bozeman

  Montana Social Norms Project, P.O. Box 170520
  Bozeman, MT  United States  59717-0520

  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

  Office of Impaired Driving and Occupant Protection, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Linkenbach, Jeff
  • Perkins, H Wesley
• Publication Date: 2005-9

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Edition: Final Report
• Features: Appendices; Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 44p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Adults; Behavior modification; Demonstration projects; Drunk drivers; Drunk driving; Mass media; Messages (Communications); Safety campaigns; Social values
• Uncontrolled Terms: Intervention; Self reported data
• Geographic Terms: Montana
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Society; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01353062
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: HS-809 869
• Contract Numbers: DTNH22-01-H-25156
• Files: HSL, TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Sep 30 2011 4:13PM