What was the Campaigns impact on alcohol-related traffic fatalities?
When the Campaign began in late 1988, annual fatalities stood at 23,626. By 1992, annual fatalities had dropped sharply to 17,858. This represented a four-year decline of 24%, compared to 0% change in the three years just prior to the Campaign. By 1994, annual fatalities reached a low of 16,580 (a six-year decline of 30%), before leveling off. Using 1988 as a baseline, more than 50,000 lives had been saved by the end of 1998. A variety of factors have been responsible for this striking progress, including intensive publicity, new laws, and strict enforcement. Based on the extensive polling data presented above, the Center concludes that the designated driver campaign made an important contribution to the sharp downward trend in alcohol-related traffic fatalities. The Harvard Alcohol Project, the first successful, large-scale effort to use dialogue in network entertainment as a health promotion “technology,” stimulated similar efforts by others. The New York Times reported that senior t
