Every37.com Launches Major Campaign to Curb Drunk Driving in Sacramento County

Organizations and Law Enforcement in Test Program to Reduce Deaths and Arrests

SACRAMENTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Teachable Moment Foundation, which successfully helped change laws in California associated with drunk driving, has launched a campaign focused on changing behaviors of young males in Sacramento County. Sacramento ranks number one out of the 13 major metropolitan areas in California in drunk driving injuries and deaths, based on average population and average miles traveled.

Dr. Leon Owens – a trauma surgeon at Mercy San Juan Medical Center, whose son was killed in a drunk driving crash in 2002 – formed the Teachable Moment Foundation with other community leaders with a mission to develop, implement and test a new anti-drunk driving method that would implement new and more effective ways to solve the problem.

Legislation was authored by Sen. Dave Cox and Assemblyman Dave Jones and signed into law by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger authorizing law enforcement to impound the vehicle of a person arrested for drunk driving if that person had a previous drunk driving conviction. Additional legislation authorized a pilot program in Sacramento County consisting of a four-part approach that would be systematically evaluated by the University of Michigan and University of California, Davis.

The program includes vehicle impoundment, increased enforcement, interventions and a public awareness campaign. The first three elements have already been implemented. Through funding from the Office of Traffic Safety, more officers are on duty for DUI monitoring and processing, checkpoints have increased, and interventions take place in jail with individuals arrested for DUI. Counselors conduct interviews, offer counseling and provide referrals to treatment programs.

The final piece of the program is an awareness campaign, which starts this week and runs through 2009. The campaign is focused on the fact that nationwide every 37 minutes someone is killed in a drunk driving collision. The Every37.com campaign features a website that will serve as a portal for information, materials and interactivity to ensure that drivers, who might drink, understand the consequences of drunk driving and learn ways to plan ahead to avoid circumstances that lead to drunk driving. The campaign will also include advertising, community partnerships, events with bars and restaurants, media promotions and grassroots communication.

The outreach campaign is primarily targeting 18 to 34-year-old Caucasian and Hispanic males because these two groups represent over 40% of DUI arrests. Other audiences will also be part of the campaign.

The Every37.com campaign, which will run all year with emphasis on holiday when there’s a greater propensity for drinking and driving, will feature striking stories about people affected by drunk driving.

For more information about the Teachable Moment Foundation and Every37.com, visit www.Every37.com or contact Abbey Borstad, [e-mail] or [phone].