The effectiveness of screening and brief intervention on reducing driving while intoxicated citations

The purpose of this study was to use retrospective data, including citations for driving while intoxicated (DWI), to assess the long-term effectiveness of a program consisting of Screening and Brief Intervention (SBI) for at-risk alcohol users and its impact on traffic safety. A second objective was to study ethnic differences in response to SBI. During the time period of 1998-1999, LCF Research, together with the Lovelace Health System, participated in the Cutting Back SBI study for at-risk drinkers. A total of 426 subjects exhibiting at-risk drinking behaviors from the New Mexico cohort were examined for the study, including 211 subjects who received a brief counseling intervention and 215 in the no intervention control group. This study examined DWI citations for all 426 subjects during the 5 years following the Cutting Back study. The brief interventions were shown to have had a significant impact on reducing DWI citations for at-risk drinkers, with the added benefit lasting for the 5-year duration of the study. The SBI was found to be most effective at reducing DWI citations for Hispanic at-risk drinkers. Evidence is presented to show that screening to identify at-risk drinkers followed by a brief intervention has a statistically significant lasting impact on improving traffic safety.