The effect of a community crash reenactment program on teen alcohol awareness and behavior

Background: Motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) are the leading cause of death in US teens, encompassing greater than one in three deaths. Mock crash reenactments have been used to promote awareness in communities about the effects of drinking and driving.  The majority of these programs are for alcohol injury prevention, target high school students, and often involve a scenario of a student driving while under the influence (DUI) and sustaining a fatal car crash. Objective: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a regional mock crash reenactment upon the students' drinking and driving knowledge and behaviors. Methods: An observational pre-post study was conducted.  The survey had seven five-point Likert-scale questions (1 being strongly disagree and 5 strongly agree) measuring outcomes. Students were surveyed before and after the crash reenactment concerning their knowledge and attitudes related to drinking and driving. The survey also included questions that queried participant's age, gender, alcohol consumption history, and seatbelt usage. Results: The final study population included 947 pre-surveys and 840 post-surveys.  Students demonstrated no significant increase in knowledge-based drinking and driving questions.  However, after the reenactment program, students were 1.39 times less likely to report drinking and driving in the future or that they would get into a car with someone who would drive drunk. Students were 1.7 times more likely to report thinking about the risks associated with drinking and driving after participating in the program. Conclusion: After viewing a mock crash reenactment, students reported they were less likely to drink and drive in the future or get into a car with someone who would drive drunk, and were more likely often think the risks associated with drinking and driving.