Young drivers and the efficacy of the Texas drug and alcohol driving awareness program

The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of the Texas Drug and Alcohol Driving Awareness Program (TDADAP) in relation to alcohol-related offenses among young drivers. Participants in this study were students in pre-license programs for young beginning drivers who either received or did not receive TDADAP instruction as part of their curriculum. Based on the examination and statistical analysis of Texas Department of Public Safety driving record data, findings indicate that TDADAP participation did positively influence subsequent alcohol-related traffic convictions. Participants that received TDADAP instruction had a total of 5601 records, 231 of which were alcohol-related convictions. Participants who did not receive TDADAP instruction had a total 5945 records with 376 alcohol-related convictions. Promising results came from findings associated with TDADAP participation and the total number of alcohol-related offenses attributed to a group, the number of ALR offenses, MIP offenses, PI offenses and DUI/DWI offenses attributed to a group. When adjusted for group size, participants who did not receive TDADAP instruction had 53% more convictions than the TDADAP participants. With regard to alcohol-related accidents, findings were mixed in that the test group had a higher-than-expected number of participants with at least one accident, while the control group frequency was less than expected. The reverse was found when considering participants with two alcohol-related accidents. When taken as a whole, results from this study indicate that while TDADAP participation may influence alcohol-related traffic convictions and some alcohol-related accidents, it is a more accurate predictor of alcohol-related traffic convictions and a less accurate predictor of all alcohol-related accidents.