NCJ Number
74539
Date Published
1979
Length
45 pages
Annotation
The Idaho Alcohol Safety Action Project (ASAP), is described and evaluated; accomplishments of each of the 10 countermeasures are summarized, and a brief fiscal review of the project is given.
Abstract
The overall goal of the Idaho ASAP is to reduce the role of alcohol as a contributing cause of death and injury on the roads of Idaho. The extent of the drinking problem in Idaho is severe, and efforts to reduce drunk driving face several obstacles, such as the treatment of driving while intoxicated (DWI) cases as misdemeanors, laws which do not classify beer as an alcoholic beverage, and poor record keeping procedures. The ASAP began in June 1972 and was in full operation by September of that year. Ten countermeasures were implemented, including project management, enforcement, expert witness/chemical laboratory, rehabilitation, education, driver testing, public information, and an alcohol data bank. In June 1975 full Federal funding expired. A modified version of the program continued under State funding. Evaluation of the ASAP is hampered by incomplete data for the period preceding the project. The evaluation system measures knowledge levels and attitude changes precipitated by ASAP operations and changes in drunk driving behavior. Overall decreases in alcohol-related accidents of all types during the period of the project were noted, as were average positive blood alcohol content samples taken from roadside surveys. The percentage of persons convicted of DWI increased. For volume II, see NCJ 74543.