Resources: Impaired Road Use

It is crucial to involve partners in impaired driving prevention. Among those include campus security, transportation, bars, and cannabis dispensaries. Presenters will outline a model for engaging industry partners and discuss successes with that model in Columbus and Cincinnati.

It is crucial to involve partners in impaired driving prevention. Among those include community alcohol and drug coalitions, campus police, and local bars and dispensaries. Presenters will share practical strategies for identifying and developing the right partnerships and tips for successful community engagement.

Learning Objectives:

• Explain the issue of collegiate impaired road use including trends related to drowsy driving and cannabis impaired driving ​
• Explain trends related to impaired riding on alternative vehicles(bikes, scooters, skateboards) ​
• Understand how to deploy existing measurement tools to assess impaired driving at your university

According to the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration, the highest percentage of drunk drivers in 2022 were between 21-24 years old. Our young adults are at risk for impaired road use—the data reveals that beyond drunk driving, impaired use of scooters, bikes, and other micro mobility devices is a concern among this population. Join presenters as they outline the issue of impaired driving and narrow in on data among the college-aged population.

Learning Objectives:

• Learn about the history of impaired driving
• Learn about the proliferation and impact of impairment on other transportation modes
• Discuss impairment trends among young adults

Preventing impaired road use among students is most effective with a coordinated, campus-wide effort built on collaboration, shared responsibility, and the diverse expertise of campus stakeholders. Start building a team of people on your campus who can tackle the issue with you.

HECAOD suggests establishing the Traffic Safety Dream Team, which includes representation from each of the following roles:

Health/Wellness Professionals: A health educator, alcohol and other drug coordinator, or wellness specialist have an understanding of effective alcohol and other drug (AOD) prevention strategies, existing programming, and may have access to data related to AOD prevalence and perceptions.

Students: Involving students in your campus team will provide valuable insight into the traffic safety issues most pressing for students, help to galvanize them to action, and lend validity to your work.

Data Keeper: To support data-driven decisions, it’s helpful to include someone on your team who understands IRB processes, survey tools available to your campus, and basic data analysis—such as a faculty member in public health, addiction studies, or engineering, a staff member who oversees student surveys, or even yourself.

Administrative Champion: It’s useful to have someone involved in these efforts who can approve different project elements such as deploying a survey and generating time and resources toward the initiative.

Campus Safety & Security Personnel: Campus safety, security, and/or police have great insight into high-risk areas on campus and what resources exist to address identified issues. They are a valuable partner during the intervention implementation phase and could offer support to increase enforcement, implement DUI checkpoints, and connect with community police.

Download the Team Member Brainstorming Worksheet that can assist in brainstorming you own campus Traffic Safety Dream Team. 

A great first step in addressing impaired road use is to better understand the environment, protective factors, and risk factors, as well as the prevalence and perception of harm of impaired road use behaviors.. You can do this by deploying a brief survey and environmental scan. The Higher Education Center, in collaboration with the Collegiate Impaired Driving Collaborative, developed two tools to support this process: the Collegiate Traffic Safety Measure and the Impaired Road Use Environmental Scan. 

These tools are updated regularly, so we encourage you to check back for the latest versions. Please note that your campus may require an IRB for the use of the Collegiate Traffic Safety Measure. The Higher Education Center does not manage individual campus IRB approvals. It is the responsibility of each campus to obtain IRB approval or exemption before deploying the survey. 

This session will explore the critical issue of impaired road use among college students and its implications for overall student health and safety. Presenters Liz Branham and Paige Carter from HECAOD’s traffic safety team will share insights into behavioral trends, including impaired use of bikes, scooters, and skateboards, to shed light on the broader context of traffic safety on campus. Participants will be guided to identify key risk areas in their campus environments and discuss how these factors may increase the likelihood of traffic-related injuries or fatalities. The session will conclude with actionable strategies for addressing these challenges, emphasizing data collection and student involvement in impaired road use prevention through focus groups, assessment activities, and campus safety feedback.

Learning Objectives

• Assess how campus environments may contribute to risks associated with impaired road use, risky traffic behaviors, injuries, crashes, and fatalities. 
• Explore how traffic safety and impaired road use prevention initiatives align with the roles and responsibilities of health educators and wellness professionals.  
• Identify actionable strategies for integrating traffic safety work into campus wellness initiatives, including how impaired road use data can engage students as active contributors to prevention efforts.