Carroll County
From 2000 to 2004, there was an average of 220 impaired driving-related motor vehicle crashes in Carroll County per year. These crashes resulted in an average of 136 injuries per year and 4 fatalities per year. In 2004, the alcohol-related fatality rate in Carroll County was 0.71 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, which was significantly above the statewide alcohol-related fatality rate of 0.43.
Currently, another traffic safety area of high risk in Carroll County are young, inexperienced drivers. According to the University of Maryland National Study Center for Trauma and EMS, nearly 20 percent of the drivers involved in motor vehicle crashes in Carroll County in 2004 were between the ages of 16- and 20-years-old. These young driver-involved crashes resulted in 495 injuries and 3 fatalities. Additionally, in 2004, approximately 35 percent of alcohol impaired drivers involved in Carroll County motor vehicle crashes were between the ages of 16 and 24.
The goal of Carroll County's C.U.P.I.D. Program (Community Underage Prevention of Impaired Driving) is to reduce the number of underage-impaired driving-related motor vehicle crashes from August 1, 2006 to December 31, 2007 (change to past tense or change dates to make info current?) by at least 5 percent, from 32 per year to 30 or less per year. This will be accomplished through four objectives combining educational and enforcement activities directed toward adults and teens in Carroll County.
Program Objectives and Activities:
- Fund overtime underage-impaired driving enforcement initiatives, including sobriety checkpoints, saturation patrols, and stings involving alcohol merchants selling to minors, adults buying alcohol for minors and local establishments serving alcohol to minors.
- Coordinate a teen-impaired driving prevention peer education incentive program. The selected student organization from each of the public high schools in Carroll County will:
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- Read 10 original underage-impaired driving prevention public service announcements in their schools;
- Design and implement an innovative underage-impaired driving peer education campaign in their school;
- Create and monitor a traffic safety display booth in the cafeteria; and
- Administer a survey to students evaluating the attitudes and beliefs toward impaired driving prior to and following the CUPID program, and report all their activities with photos and supporting documents.
- Implement an adult underage-impaired driving prevention media campaign. This educational campaign includes:
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- Ten public service announcements that will be recorded and broadcast on the local radio station and aired on the local television station;
- Two impaired driving prevention advertisements that will run in the local newspaper; and
- A billboard with an underage-impaired driving prevention message that will be created and displayed during the 2007 (2009 as this season has (is) passed?) prom/graduation season.
- Hold an alcohol screening and brief intervention training for healthcare providers.
Contact Information:
Shannon N. Oehlers, Health Educator
Carroll County Health Department
290 South Center St.
Westminster, MD 21157
Ph: (410) 876-4819
Fax: (410) 876-4441
Email: soehlers@dhmh.state.md.us
Cass County
Underage drinking, impaired driving by underage persons and a high number of alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes are problems in North Dakota, especially in rural areas. According to the 2005 North Dakota High School Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), 40.8 percent of rural students have ridden in a car or other vehicle driven by someone who had been drinking alcohol one or more times during the past 30 days. The percentage of students who drove a car or other vehicle when they had been drinking alcohol one or more times during the past 30 days was 25.8 percent (YRBS). According to the The NSDUH Report published by the Office of Applied Studies Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), North Dakota had the highest percentage of persons aged 12 to 20 reporting past month alcohol use by State in 2003 and 2004 at 42.68 percent.
The impaired driving prevention project focuses on three target populations:
- DUI offenders;
- 21-34-year-old drinkers at liquor establishments; and
- 14-18-year-old high school students.
The goal of the project is to reduce alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes by 10 percent by December 31, 2008.
Program Objectives and Activities:
- Target a recidivism rate 8 percent lower than the State's for DUI offenders in rural Cass County.
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- Have DUI offenders sentenced to attend the Victim Impact Panel and
- Solicit support and participation in Victim Impact Panel by Cass County State's Attorney and District Court Judges.
- Train 85 percent of alcohol services in responsible beverage service.
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- Market the Server Training Program and solicit participation by Cass County liquor establishments;
- Research the possibility of liability insurance discounts for participating establishments;
- Create incentives for establishments and servers to attend;
- Conduct on-site or community-based Server Training classes; and
- Research the feasibility of passing a county-wide mandatory responsible beverage service training ordinance.
- Reach the goals expressed by the Class Action program. This is an evidence-based alcohol prevention program for high school students. Its intended impacts include reductions in alcohol use and intentions to use, binge drinking, and underage alcohol purchases.
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- Collaborate with local high schools;
- Train project personnel on Class Action;
- Conduct pre-survey;
- Implement Class Action curriculum for one or two grade levels at each school; and
- Conduct post-survey.
Contact Information:
Robyn Litke, Safe Communities Coordinator
Fargo Cass Public Health
401 3rd Avenue N
Fargo, ND 58102
Ph: (701) 241-1341
Fax: (701) 241-8559
Email: rlitke@cityoffargo.com
Fillmore and Houston Counties
In 2004, Fillmore County reported 298 crashes and Houston County reported 330 crashes with alcohol being the contributing factor in 9.7 percent and 9.4 percent of the crashes in each respective county. Alcohol use played a role in 50 percent of fatal crashes, 17 percent of injury-related crashes, and 6.3 percent of property damage only crashes in Fillmore County. In Houston County, alcohol use played a role in 25 percent of fatal crashes, 21.3 percent of injury-related crashes, and 4.6 percent of property damage only crashes. The estimated cost of alcohol-related traffic crashes, fatalities, and injuries for Fillmore and Houston County in 2004 was $4,498,900.00
Youth alcohol use is a significant problem in Minnesota and in Fillmore and Houston Counties. According to the 2004 Minnesota Student Survey results, 53.8 percent of Minnesota's youth in 9th and 12th grades reported using alcohol in the past twelve months. Sixty-eight percent of Fillmore and 64 percent of Houston County youth, also in 9th and 12th grades, reported using alcohol in the past twelve months.
The 2004 Minnesota Student Survey also indicated that 18.25 percent of 9th and 12th grade youth have driven a motor vehicle after using alcohol or drugs in the last 12 months. Approximately 39.5 percent of these same Minnesota youth have ridden in a vehicle with friends who have been using alcohol or drugs. Of the 9th and 12th graders surveyed, 20 percent of Fillmore County and 21.8 percent of Houston County have driven a motor vehicle after using alcohol or drugs in the last 12 months. Of these same youth, 41.8 percent from Fillmore County and 54.5 percent from Houston County reported having ridden in a vehicle with friends who have been drinking or using drugs.
In order to enhance current programming, the Fillmore-Houston Safe Communities Coalition will target the following high-risk populations:
- Drivers between the ages of 21 and 34, who are involved in more than half of all alcohol-related fatalities.
- Repeat offenders, many of whom are alcohol-dependent, and who are involved in more than 50 percent of alcohol-related crashes on weekends and at night.
- Underage drinkers, who lack experience with both drinking and driving.
Program Objectives and Activities
- Reduce alcohol impaired driving among drivers between the ages of 21 and 34 in Fillmore and Houston County.
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- Meet with members of the Fillmore-Houston Safe Communities Coalition and alcohol distributors to discuss ideas for the development of a media campaign directed toward reducing alcohol impaired driving among 21- to 34-year-olds.
- Develop a media campaign directed toward reducing alcohol impaired driving among 21- to 34-year-olds.
- Work with focus groups of 21- to 34-year-olds to adjust the alcohol impaired driving media campaign as necessary.
- Disperse the alcohol impaired driving media campaign via radio, television and print venues in locations where 21- to 34-year-olds are present.
- Reduce alcohol impaired driving among repeat offenders in Fillmore and Houston County.
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- Meet with Fillmore-Houston Safe Communities members from local law enforcement, corrections, and the court system to garner ideas for the development of a self-guided course to be used by repeat offenders with impaired driving violations.
- Develop a self-guided course for repeat offenders with impaired driving violations to be used within the correctional system.
- Implement the self-guided course for repeat offenders with impaired driving violations within the corrections system. Provide treatment referrals, resources, and support to repeat offenders completing the course.
- Reduce alcohol impaired driving among underage drinkers in Fillmore and Houston County.
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- Collaborate with members of the Fillmore-Houston Safe Communities Coalition including law enforcement, schools, youth, and parents to conduct Town Hall Meetings within school districts regarding underage alcohol use.
- Collaborate with schools, youth, parents, and community organizations to develop and provide education about and alternatives to alcohol use. Focus these efforts around times such as homecomings, proms, and graduations.
- Work with drivers' education instructors to create and provide presentations on alcohol-impaired driving to youth.
- Collaborate with local governments, community organizations, youth, alcohol retailers and servers, and alcohol distributors to develop materials for reducing youth access to alcohol and the social acceptability of alcohol use by youth during local festivals and events.
Contact Information:
Heather Myhre
Houston County Public Health
304 South Marshall St
Caledonia, MN 55921
Ph: (507) 725-5810
Fax: (507) 725-2150
Email: heather.myhre@co.houston.mn.us
Brenda Leigh Pohlman
Fillmore County Public Health
902 Houston St NW, Suite 2
Preston, MN 55965-0580
Ph: (507) 765-2636
Fax: (507) 765-2139
Email: bpohlman@co.fillmore.mn.us
Garrett County
According to the Maryland Automated Accident Reporting System (MAARS) database, from the year 2000-2004, an average of 8,674 impaired driving crashes has occurred annually on Maryland's roadways. On average, 178 people have lost their lives each year. This loss of life represents nearly 28 percent of all of Maryland's traffic fatalities.
For the same time period in Garrett County, an average of 65 impaired driving crashes has occurred annually on Garrett County's roadways. On average, 3 people have lost their lives each year. This loss of life represents nearly 38 percent of all Garrett County's traffic fatalities. An average of 34 people has been injured annually, accounting for nearly 14 percent of all of Garrett County's traffic injuries. Forty-four percent of impaired drivers and 53 percent of injured drivers were between the ages of 21 and 29. Seventy-five percent of all impaired drivers in Garrett County were men.
For the year 2004, the alcohol-related fatality rate for Garrett County was 0.6 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, above the statewide alcohol-related fatality rate of 0.43.
The target population for the project is:
- 18-24-year-olds on the college campus;
- Non-traditional alcohol servers and sellers through the TIPS for Concessionaires program;
- Liquor stores through the SADD Sticker Shock campaign; and
- General adult population through community awareness campaign.
These audiences were selected based on filling the gaps left through current programming while at the same time selecting programs recommended by the National Highway Traffic Administration's (NHTSA) Best Practices.
Program Objectives and Activities
- Increase the number of Garrett County adults that complete responsible alcohol server/seller training from 68 per year to 100 per year by December 31, 2007.
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- Currently, the TIPS program, a responsible beverage server/seller training is offered in Garrett County for bartenders and for sellers of alcoholic beverages. A recommended strategy of the Garrett County Combating Underage Drinking Committee has been to expand the TIPS training in the county in order to reach some of the non-traditional servers of alcohol such as volunteer and civic groups that offer fundraisers that include alcohol.
- One such example is a local Oktoberfest Celebration coordinated by a local volunteer fire department. Over $20,000 is generated from sales of beer. There are several variations of the TIPS training and new options to be implemented include TIPS for Concessionaires and TIPS for Social Functions.
- Increase the number of SADD clubs in Garrett County from 3 to 5 by December 31, 2007.(change date?)
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- School based programs such as Students Against Destructive Decisions are recognized by NHTSA as a Best Practice Activity in a Safe Community to prevent impaired driving.
- Currently, there are three active SADD groups in Garrett County. Two are school-based programs and one is sponsored by a grassroots community group. The types of activities that SADD groups will be encouraged to do are education with alcohol establishments around prom and graduation (Sticker Shock campaign) and peer education such as Prom Promise.
- Increase impaired driving prevention activities on college campus from 1 to 5 by December 31, 2007. (change date?)
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- There is one community college in Garrett County, Garrett College. It does not have a Prevention Office or a Health Clinic. Two fairly intense measures are proposed for the college population as a component of impaired driving prevention, TIPS for Universities and Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention (ASBI), the second of which is a NHTSA recommended practice.
- The goal is to provide the ASBI training on campus for peer counselors and designated college staff with the intention of using the counseling techniques for students at-risk.
- In addition to the TIPS and ASBI trainings, the health department staff will increase alcohol awareness activities on the college campus with support and direction from college faculty.
- Increase community awareness of DWI patrol activity through newspaper, coalition and committee reports, radio, and promotions at community festivals involving alcohol.
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- Local enforcement officers are active in sobriety checkpoints, saturation patrols, and high-risk enforcement such as prom, graduation, football games, and holidays.
- Innovative measures to accomplish this objective include encouraging and promoting DWI patrol activities in conjunction with community festivals (county fair, cash bash events, Oktoberfest celebration) and recognition publicity for law enforcement officers who are active enforcers of DWI laws.
Contact Information:
Diane Lee, Highway Safety Coordinator
Garrett County Health Department
1025 Memorial Drive
Oakland, MD 21550
Ph: (301) 334-7730
Fax:(301) 334-7701
Email: leed@dhmh.state.md.us
Kendra Todd, Director of Health Education
Garrett County Health Department
1025 Memorial Drive
Oakland, MD 21550
Ph: (301) 334-7730
Fax:(301) 334-7701
Email: Ktodd@dhmh.state.md.us
