Dallas Cares

Combating Drunk Driving with Education

Presented by:
Daniah Albaidhani, Sean Michael Haas, Nikhil Chowdhury, and Juing David Yeh

A life-saving educational lecture series from

your neighbors at Uber and the Dallas Police
Department.
Table of Contents
Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 3
Background ........................................................................................................................ 4-5
Proposal ................................................................................................................................ 6
Intended Goal: ................................................................................................................... 6
Quiz Questions: ................................................................................................................. 7
Demographic: .................................................................................................................... 7
Time Frame & Schedule of Workshops: .............................................................................. 8
Dates and time of day: ....................................................................................................... 8
Workshop Locations: ......................................................................................................... 8
Teaching Aids Involved: ..................................................................................................... 8
Incentivizing Attendance: .................................................................................................. 9
Marketing Plan .................................................................................................................. 9
Staffing: ................................................................................................................................ 9
Budget: ............................................................................................................................... 10
Targeted Questions & Answers.10-11
Authorization Request: ........................................................................................................ 11
References: ......................................................................................................................... 12
Introduction

Every year, thousands of innocent bystanders are killed in alcohol-related motor-vehicle

accidents. In fact, according to the CDC, nearly 1 in every 3 traffic-related fatalities in the United
States involves a drunk driver (Centers for Disease Control, 2016). Data from the National
Institutes of Health showed that in 2009 approximately 30 people died in alcohol-related
collisions per day (approximately 11,000 deaths per year) (Ying 2013). The problem is not
consistent across the country, however, with data showing that U.S. alcohol-related fatalit[ies]
are regional and more prevalent in the south and west (Ying 2013). The issue is especially
startling in the state of Texas, which is consistently at the forefront of drunk-driving accident
rates. This is not a new problem, but one which has plagued the state of Texas for decades
despite tough state laws against intoxicated driving (Texas Department of Transportation,
2015). Innocent bystanders are killed, families are broken and lives are forever changed by a
preventable accident. Many people in the community choose to ignore the issue until it impacts
them on a personal level.
Periodically a high profile
case emerges, such as
that of the notorious
affluenza teen Ethan
Couch, spurring cries of
national outrage and calls
for drastic changes in
policing or legislation.
Rarely do the public cries
of outrage ever shift
blame to the general
public, yet drunk driving
remains a societal issue
due to a lack of driver
education and
community awareness.

That is where we come in; as a leader in the transportation industry, Uber is committed to not
only improving the ease of transportation for our users, but also to improving the driving
conditions in the communities in which we do business. We owe our success to our customers
and the partners who choose to drive with us, and supporting their safety is a priority. We
believe that through driver education programs at the community level, we can create a
difference in drunk driving fatalities, thereby improving the communities in which we work. The
following proposal will detail the driver education programs which we have planned; including
execution, staffing requirements and budgetary restrictions. While there is no clear-cut solution
to such a subjective issue, we do believe that the plans herein will produce a desirable effect.
Background

Alcohol related motor-vehicle accidents are a

constant problem in the United States. The
prevalence of alcohol consumption is one of the
foundations of the problem. The CDC estimates that
around 52% of adults in the United States are
considered regular drinkers and that 112 million
car-trips are made by drivers with over .08 BAC
(Centers for Disease Control, 2016). However, the
overall trend has been a reduction in drunk driving
accidents since the 1980s. Despite reductions in
overall drunk driving accidents, fatalities in crashes
involving alcohol-impaired drivers continue to
represent almost one-third (31%) of the total motor vehicle fatalities (Centers for Disease
Control, 2016). Drunk driving accidents often impact innocent bystanders, such as pedestrians
or bicyclists. While there is not enough data to draw conclusions, it has been estimated that
alcohol useby either the driver or pedestrianis a contributing factor in 49% of pedestrian
fatalities (Centers for Disease Control, 2016). Similar numbers are seen in regards to bicyclists
as alcohol use by either bicyclist, driver, or both [was] reported in more than 29% of fatal
crashes (Centers for Disease Control, 2016). Government at the state level has traditionally
implemented stricter laws and tougher punishments, or sanctions, in an attempt to reduce
drinking and driving. However, academic studies have found that the use of sanctions as policy
tools rests on deterrence theory but that deterrence alone is not effective at reducing alcohol-
related accidents (Houston & Richardson, 2004). Adding to this, there is information published
by the CDC that outlines the basic strategies considered effective to reduce drunk driving.
Four basic strategies are used to reduce alcohol-impaired crashes and
drinking and driving: Deterrence: enact, publicize, enforce, and
adjudicate laws prohibiting alcohol-impaired driving so that people
choose not to drive impaired; Prevention: reduce drinking and keep
drinkers from driving; Communications and outreach: inform the public
of the dangers of impaired driving and establish positive social norms
that make driving while impaired unacceptable; and Alcohol treatment:
reduce alcohol dependency or addiction among drivers. (Centers for
Disease Control, 2016).
Our proposal content is based on two of those strategies, specifically Deterrence along with
Communications and Outreach (Centers for Disease Control, 2016). In deterrence, rather than
attempting to lobby for new legislation, our goal will be to publicize the existing laws that
prohibit drinking and driving; specifically, we aim to inform people about the large penalties
associated with breaking these laws. That being said, we will not be relying on fear appeals to
propel our message. Fear appeals, such as detailing the tragic deaths of innocent bystanders
due to intoxicated drivers, can potentially increase undesirable behavior (Centers for Disease
Control, 2016). In comparison, messages based on establishing or shaping social norms can
have an extremely positive effect. As such, communications and outreach is truly the
foundation of our proposed program. Our series of workshops aims to educate and inform
drivers about the specific consequences and costs of drinking and driving. With wide enough
implementation and reach, these workshops have the potential to help form societal norms
that deter drunk driving through peer pressure. In a study, a paid media campaign was
developed with the normative message, MOST Montana Young Adults (4 out of 5) Dont Drink
and Drive. By the end of the campaign, there was a 13.7% decrease in young adults who
reported driving after drinking relative to a comparison community (Centers for Disease
Control, 2016). This example demonstrates the effect that can be had from indirectly targeting
the undesirable behavior. This strategy assumes that an individuals behavior is based largely
upon his or her perceptions of what their peers are doing. Therefore, popularizing a message
that the majority of a demographic cohort is avoiding certain behavior influences others to also
avoid the behavior. Independent studies have found that mass media campaigns are effective
in reducing AID and alcohol-related crashes (Elder 2004). While this is not at all a conventional
mass media campaign, our proposal conveys information through some of the same channels.
These studies have also determined that mass media campaigns are cost saving" in relation to
their efficacy in reducing intoxicated driving (Elder 2004).

The dangers and consequences of alcohol related accidents are blatantly apparent to all adults
in the United States. Uber has chosen to take an active role in combating alcohol related motor-
vehicle accidents, through a targeted approach based on academic research and data. Our
proposed series of educational workshops will have a measured effect on reducing drunk-
driving accidents in the Dallas area; the following sections will explain our proposal in detail.
Proposal

Having explained the wide-reaching

impact of drunk driving, I think we can all
agree that this is an especially troubling
issue for the DFW area. Looking at
information published by the CDC, driver
education is recommended as one of the
foremost ways to make a meaningful
reduction in drunk driving incidents.
There is also data showing that
introducing Uber services to an area
causes a reduction in DUI arrests. The
city of Seattle saw nearly a 10% drop in
DUI arrests after Uber began servicing
the area. Based on both the information
from the CDC and the startling results from our own business operations, we propose
implementing a series of driver education workshops in different locations around Dallas.

These workshops will be based on increasing public awareness of the dangers of driving while
intoxicated. The workshops will be presentation-based; Including education videos from law
enforcement agencies, as well as an assortment of guest speakers. Guest speakers will include
local law enforcement and emergency-services workers, to provide first-hand experience and
examples of the dangers involved with intoxicated driving. The final speaker will be a member
of the local community who has been personally negatively impacted by a drunk driver. After
this emotional appeal the aforementioned points will be reiterated in the conclusion. In the
following sub-sections, we will address various aspects of the proposal in detail.

Intended Goal:

The goal of these workshops will be presenting 1 hour of content to 100-175 (Limited by venue
space) individuals in each session. Sessions will run twice a day, Friday and Saturday, for
approximately 50 weeks. This brings the total 200 presentations, with an average attendance
goal of 100 participants, we can educate and inform 20,000 people over 1 year.

Participants will be expected to correctly answer several quiz questions at the end of the
workshop to assess knowledge retention and to measure program efficacy. The quiz questions
are used due to the inability to accurately and realistically collect post-program data on
participants drinking and driving habits.
Quiz Questions:

By asking participants to answer these quiz questions at

the end of the workshop, we can judge the overall
efficacy of the program.

1. How common are alcohol-related motor-

vehicle incidents in the United States?
a. About 1 in 3 traffic deaths in the United
States involve alcohol
2. What are the costs associated with DWI
offences in Texas? (Driving While under the
Influence)
a. First Offense: Up to $2,000 fine,
minimum 3 days of jail times
b. Second Offense: Up to $4,000 fine, minimum one month of jail time
c. Third Offense: Up to $10,000 fine, 2-10 years in prison ((Texas Department
of Transportation (State of Texas)).
3. What are the economic costs to the public taxpayer for drunk driving incidents in
Texas?
a. $6.2 Billion in taxpayer-subsidized healthcare costs in 2015 (MADD, 2015)

Demographic:

Our proposal will target an age-range that includes the groups most likely to be involved in
alcohol-related accidents in Texas, young men and women aged 18-35. While they cannot
legally drink, teenagers do account for a large number of alcohol-related accidents. In fact,
motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of
death for teenagers in the United States with
nearly 1,700 teen drivers killed in 2013 (Centers
for Disease Control, 2016). These statistics do
not include the influence of alcohol. Due to
their age and inexperience, young
drivers...have a higher crash risk at all BAC
levels than older drivers (Centers for Disease
Control, 2016). For this reason, teenagers in the
age range of 18-19 are included in our target
demographic. In order to effectively target this
demographic, we will advertise and market our
workshops on social media such as Facebook,
Twitter and Instagram.
Time Frame & Schedule:

Each workshop will last approximately 1 hour with the schedule broken down as shown below:

Law enforcement testimonial speakers (10-15 Minutes)

Emergency Medical Services testimonial (10 minutes)
Educational Video focuses on the injuries and pain caused from drunk
driving accidents (5-6 minutes)
Speaker w/ PowerPoint presentation on various facts and statistics (10
minutes)
Additional speaker, emotional appeal, regular person who has been
personally impacted by a drunk driver (5-10 minutes)
Final speaker: conclusion & recap important points w/ PowerPoint (5
minutes)
o Participants will also be given flyers/handouts with a summary of key points
from the presentation.

Dates and time of day:

The workshops will be held Friday and Saturdays so that our target demographic gets the
information right before the usual high-points of drinking & driving in the week. We would plan
to offer two sessions each day, one in the morning and one in the evening, to catch people
outside of work or class.

Workshop Locations:
The workshops will be held primarily in the Dallas Public Librarys first-floor auditorium. By
partnering with the Dallas Police Department and offering a public service, we are hoping to
gain access to the library auditorium free of charge.
Dallas Public Library
https://dallaslibrary2.org/services/meetingRooms.php
First-floor auditorium seats 179
1515 Young Street, Dallas, TX
Additional meeting spaces would be scheduled on a as-needed basis and
would have a lower seating number of 75.
In this case venues average around $100/hr.
Teaching Aids Involved:
Written Materials: Handouts/flyers showing workshop outline & schedule.
Audio-Visual Materials: PowerPoint Presentation, Anti-drunk driving Video.
Incentivizing Attendance:

We will be implementing a raffle-system as

an added incentive for workshop
attendees. The raffle prizes will include
free & discounted Uber rides through a
redeemable coupon obtained at the
workshop. 1 person from each workshop
will be chosen to receive a free ride up to
$100. All participants will receive coupon
codes redeemable on the Uber app for a
20% discounted Uber rate if the coupon is
used.

Partnerships with local sports teams, such as the Dallas Cowboys, will allow us to get volunteer
time from celebrity athletes which will also act to incentivize attendance.

Marketing Plan:
In order to reach our target demographic of 18-35-year-old males and females living in the DFW
area, we intend to implement a marketing campaign built around social media. Specifically, we
will purchase advertising on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Understanding that not everyone
who visits the ad will be interested in our program, we will plan to run these ads for an
audience of 25,000.
Facebook advertising costs around $0.65 per click, or approximately and allows us to
reach a very targeted audience. For this reason, we will budget approximately $16,250
in order to reach an audience of 25,000 people.
Advertising on Instagram will consist of photo posts and videos with a cost around $0.50
per click for photos and $0.20 per click for videos. For this reason, we will budget
approximately $8,750 in order to reach an audience of 25,000 people.
Twitter advertising will not carry a cost and will consist of local users tweet and re-
tweeting our advertising flyer to friends and family in the area.
We will also pursue advertising through physical flyers and signs printed and displayed in public
areas such as Starbucks bulletin boards, bars in uptown & deep ellum, local college campuses,
and potentially in local bars if we are able to negotiate that with the management. We expect
this printing cost to be approximately $0.02 per flyer through an online printing service,
bringing the cost to $50 for 2,500 flyers.

Staffing:
Our project staff will consist of hiring speakers who will present our information as well as 1-2
technicians to operate the auditorium equipment. By partnering with the Dallas Cowboys and
Dallas Mavericks we hope to get several local athletes to donate their time as celebrity
spokespeople.

This puts our staffing requirements into two major categories, volunteers and paid speakers.
 1. Volunteers
a. Families who have been impacted by drunk driving accidents
b. People who want to help the community to prevent driving under the
influence of alcohol
2. Paid speakers
a. Law enforcement officials
b. Someone in the judiciary who sees many of these preventable drink driving
accidents

Budget:
The budget is structured with the goal of holding workshops on Friday and Saturday, 2 each
day, or 4 per week. Across 50 weeks in a calendar year (leaving 2 weeks out for the holidays) we
will hold 200 presentations. Alongside workshops and other venues, our budget will come
primarily from advertising and staffing.

We estimate our venue cost to be approximately $100/hr unless we are able to get free use of
the Dallas Public Library auditorium due to our partnership with other city organizations. So for
budgeting purposes we will estimate venue costs to be $20,000. The total budget for
advertisements is $8,750, assuming the cost per click for photos and videos are $.50 and $.25
respectively. For staffing, with our current established relationships with different
organizations, the estimated total budget is $10,000.

Advertising Staffing Venue Total Budget

Budget $8,750 $10,000 $20,000 $38,750

Targeted Questions & Answers:

Q: How will your proposal reduce alcohol-related accidents?

A: As identified by the CDC, and other academic sources, driver education is part of a
fundamental part of increasing safe driving habits. Our proposal would implement a
series of educational workshops to raise driver awareness and promote positive social
norms in regards to drinking and driving.

Q: How did you choose the 18-35-year-old age range?

A: By looking at data from the Texas Department of Transportation we were able to

narrow our age range to those most likely to be involved in an alcohol-related accident
in Texas.

Q: Why will people attend these workshops?

 A: We have incentivized attendance by offering coupon-codes for participants who will
receive 20% off of their next Uber fare. We will also hope to have local celebrities and
athletes join us as speakers by partnering with their respective organizations.

Q: How do you know that your presentation content will be effective?

A: Many different academic studies have found that specific methods of persuasion and
rhetoric are more effective in achieving positive change in drunk-driving accidents. By
focusing on conveying information that spurs the creation and adoption of new social
norms, our program will have a meaningful impact on participants. As those participants
carry on these new social norms, the effect will spread to their social circles as well.

Authorization Request

As we have explained, alcohol-related motor-vehicle accidents are an avoidable tragedy that

require a multi-faceted approach to prevent. By reviewing academic studies, we determined
that driver education and the creation of social norms are fundamental factors in deterring
drunk driving. This finding is contrary to the widely held view that tougher legislation is the best
method for deterrence. In fact, according to data from the CDC, stricter legal consequences and
fear-based persuasive strategies may actually cause individuals to engage in the very
undesirable behavior that they are aiming to prevent. For this reason, our proposal involves a
driver education program that is based on a logical fact-based approach. We aim to create and
support new social norms that do not accept drunk driving as an acceptable behavior. By
informing our target demographic, these social norms will spur a positive feedback loop, where
individuals who are unaccepting of drunk driving have an influence on their peers, thus
spreading the sentiment and increasing the number of individuals impacted. In summation, our
proposal will cause a meaningful reduction in drunk driving accidents in the Dallas area. We are
requesting $19,375 from the chamber to fund this project.
References

Elder, R. W. (2004). Effectiveness of Mass Media Campaigns for Reducing Drinking and Drinking
and Alcohol-Involved Crashes. Retrieved October 18, 2016, from
http://www.ajpmonline.org/article/S0749-3797(04)00046-7/abstract?cc=y

Mothers Against Drunk Driving. (2015). MADD - Texas. Retrieved October 18, 2016, from
http://www.madd.org/drunk-driving/state-stats/Texas.html

Houston, D. J., & Richardson, L. E. (2004). Drinking-and-Driving in America: A Test of Behavioral

Assumptions Underlying Public Policy. Political Research Quarterly, 57(1), 53-64.
doi:10.1177/106591290405700105. Retrieved October 18, 2016, from
http://www.jstor.org/stable/3219834

Sobering Facts: Drunk Driving in Texas. (2014). Retrieved October 18, 2016, from
http://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/pdf/impaired_driving/drunk_driving_in_tx.pdf

Texas Department of Transportation (State of Texas). (2016). Driving While Intoxicated (DWI).
Retrieved October 18, 2016, from http://www.txdot.gov/inside-
txdot/division/traffic/safety/sober-safe/intoxication.html

Texas Motor Vehicle Crash Statistics - 2015. (2003-2015). Retrieved October 18, 2016, from
http://www.txdot.gov/government/enforcement/annual-summary.html

What Works: Strategies to Reduce or Prevent Drunk Driving. (2016). Retrieved October 18,
2016, from http://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/impaired_driving/strategies.html

Ying, Y.-H., Wu, C.-C., & Chang, K. (2013). The Effectiveness of Drinking and Driving Policies for
Different Alcohol-Related Fatalities: A Quantile Regression Analysis. International Journal of
Environmental Research and Public Health, 10(10), 46284644.
http://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph10104628