The review suggests that all of the campaigns were released to a large audience over a long time period and were thoroughly tested before they were aired, which may have contributed significantly to their success, according to Randy Elder, Ph.D., of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control and colleagues.
Most of the ads were aired in communities with relatively high levels of law enforcement against drunk driving, leaving it unclear whether “these campaigns might have had similar effects in a setting where strong alcohol-impaired driving prevention activities were not in place,” Elder and colleagues say.
"The studies reviewed here indicated that under some conditions, well-executed mass media campaigns can contribute to a reduction in alcohol-impaired driving and alcohol-related crashes. They also suggest that such campaigns are cost-saving," they add.
Elder and colleagues analyzed costs and benefits for two of the campaigns. One campaign cost $403,174 per month, but the estimated savings from medical costs, job productivity losses, pain and suffering and property damage were $8,324,532 per month. The cost-benefit analysis for the second campaign revealed similar savings.
The researchers combed through the academic literature looking for studies on effective anti-drunk driving campaigns published before 2002. They chose eight studies that measured changes in alcohol-related crash rates or blood alcohol concentration among drivers for their analysis.
Three of the campaigns emphasized the legal consequences of drunk driving, while the other five focused on the negative social and health aspects of drunk driving. The different approaches were equally effective, the researchers found.
One study indicated that paid ads, which usually received more airplay and reached a wider audience, were more effective at reducing drunk driving incidents than public service ads. In Kansas, for example, the same campaign was used in paid and public service ads in different cities. The public service ads received half as much exposure and had about half as much effect on alcohol-related crash rates.
