Evaluation of a combination of community initiatives to reduce driving while intoxicated and other alcohol-related harms

ABSTRACT

Objectives: In 2013, the community of Redlands, California, created an initiative using evidence-based strategies to deter driving under the influence (DUI), underage drinking and driving, public intoxication, and alcohol-related calls for service. The initiative, called “Responsible Redlands,” included adopting a social host and a deemed approved local ordinance, using minor-decoy and shoulder-tap operations, increasing sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols, conducting responsible beverage service (RBS) training, using identification (ID) scanners to spot false IDs, and a publicity campaign to urge neighbors to report loud drinking parties. The objectives of this study were to determine whether the initiatives were carried out as planned and to assess any impacts that may have occurred due to the combination of initiatives.

Methods: Data from the Redlands Police Department were used to assess the process evaluation. The Statistical Analysis System (SAS) was used to create contingency tables to compare before (2007–2012) and after (2013–2014) the intervention start date and to conduct time-series analyses and calculate chi-squared test statistics on five outcome measures: DUI arrests, underage drinking violations, public intoxication violations, alcohol calls for service, and place of last drink (POLD) data from alcohol violators. Data sources were from the Redlands Police Department: DUI arrests for drivers under age 21 years and drivers age 21 or older; alcohol-related calls for service; public intoxication citations; and place of last drink surveys. Comparable data from control communities in California were not available at the time of the analyses.

Results: Responsible Redlands Initiatives appeared to be carried out as planned. There was a statistically significant decrease in DUI arrests for drivers 21 and older from preintervention to postintervention (p < .001), in alcohol-related calls for service (p < .001), in loud music calls for service (p = .06), and in public intoxication citations (p < .001). There were decreases in underage drinking violations and in DUIs for under age 21 drivers, but the numbers were too small for chi-squared statistical tests.

Conclusions: “Responsible Redlands” interventions were associated with several significant decreases in outcome measures from preintervention to postintervention. Communities that consider these initiatives in combination (social host and deemed approved ordinances; minor-decoy and shoulder-tap operations; DUI checkpoints and saturation patrols; RBS training; use of ID scanners and a public information campaign to report loud drinking parties) can expect to experience potential decreases in alcohol-related harm.

KEYWORDS:

• Social host ordinance
• deemed approved ordinance
• driving while intoxicated
• underage drinking
• sobriety checkpoints
• saturation patrols

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Dan Skiles, Brenda Simmons, Addison Saenz, and Sandra Espadas from the Institute for Public Strategies (IPS) for all of their help in obtaining the data necessary for our analyses. We also thank Commander Chris Catren of the Redlands Police Department for organizing the enforcement part of the Initiative, Jeff Tufenkian of IPS for working on the program publicity, and Mario Saucedo of the Common Vision Coalition for helping to get the two ordinances passed. Finally, we thank Sandra Emerson of the Redlands Daily Facts for the excellent articles she wrote on the Responsible Redlands Initiative.

Funding

Institute for Public Strategies ID: G015