How to Stop Drunk Driving

* Pass a national law that prohibits any open alcoholic drinks in public places.

* Make sure repeat drunk driving offenders are wearing electronic devices such as ankle bracelets at all times. Furthermore, all repeat offenders should have to install ignition interlock instruments (IIDs) in their vehicles.

* Attach a special marking to the license plates of repeat offenders. However, if someone else has to drive the repeat offender's vehicle, they could be mistaken for being a drunk driver.

* Since the high percentage of drunk drivers are young, restrict driving for young drivers including not allowing them to drive after a certain time.

* Increase DUI awareness and education for students in elementary and high schools. Creating a sense of responsibility in young adults and children is also key in further reducing drunken driving incidences in the future.

* Increase the number of public service announcements in the newspapers and on television.

All of these ideas used together consistently would probably be best to reduce the number of DUI accidents. It's just a matter of the government or law enforcement implementing them being consistent with these initiatives in order for them to be effective while maintaining a level of lawfulness for all citizens.

For many years now there has been a growing debate surrounding the idea of lowering the legal age for drinking from the current age of 21 to 18. In California a group of college presidents and have united to push for this change in the drinking age limit. The group feels that the current age limit is making drinkers under the legal age hide and not get help when they are drunk or have a drinking problem. The group also feels that the current drinking age limit isn't really working to decrease the amount of underage drinkers. They will still find a way to drink no matter what.

Lowering the age limit for drinkers would force parents to be more accountable for educating their teenagers about the dangers of drinking and driving. If people really want to prevent drunk driving, then educate kids about the dangers and consequences of drunk driving. Education is key.

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One initiative that has been getting media attention lately is the "Avoid" Campaign. Law enforcement across the U.S. have joined together to help create awareness about drunk driving and it takes place a couple weeks out of the year. This campaign started in 1973 and it's aim is to bring together law enforcement agencies to help fight drunk driving.

The tag line for this campaign is "Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest." and an estimated $50 million is being spent to carry it out throughout the country. $30 million is allotted for TV and radio ads while $20 million goes towards extra police enforcement (2008 numbers).

"Drunk driving is a top priority for the police, CHP, and sheriff deputies in California, but other motorists on the roads are one of the best weapons we have against drunk drivers," said Christopher J. Murphy, Director of the California Office of Traffic Safety. "We're asking the public to report drunk drivers by calling 911 and providing the location and a complete description of the vehicle."

This is a great idea, but if only it was carried out every day of the year, not just two weeks of the year. Nonetheless, at least something is being done!

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Resolving the issue of drunk driving has alluded us for many decades. Law enforcement and various community organizations have come up with various initiatives to decrease drunk driving incidents. Everything from increasing sobriety checkpoints to media ad campaigns have been used to spread the message about the consequences of driving under the influence.

One organization that is on a mission to help prevent drunk driving is MOST of Us. This organization understands the importance of media campaigns to influence people. In partnership with other state organizations, MOST of US has created various projects to help prevent drunk driving. The organization uses "social norms marketing", an idea based on the social norms theory. Social norms theory states that our behavior is influenced by our perceptions of what is "normal" or "typical."

It's been known that people are heavily influenced by their parents, peers, and the environment around them. If kids constantly see their parents or friends drink, it's likely that they will drink too. If drinking and driving appears to be the "norm", it's likely that you will do it too because "everyone is doing it".

A report published by the American Journal of Preventive Medicine back in June of 2004 suggested that mass media campaigns could possibly reduce alcohol-related car accidents by 13 percent.

MOST of Us uses messages with a positive tone versus a negative tone to influence people. Instead of saying "Drunk driving kills", the organization releases campaigns including messages such as "Most young adults (4 out of 5) don't drink and drive". These types of positive messages have worked in changing people's perceptions, attitudes, and behavior about drinking and driving.

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