Punitive means of dealing with persons convicted of driving while intoxicated have not been totally successful. As a supplement to judicial approaches, a variety of educational programs for the drinking driver have been initiated. This paper describes one such curriculum developed, implemented, and evaluated over a three year period in Tallahassee, Florida. In addition, it presents information about instructor qualifications.
The basic format of the curriculum consists of four two and one-half hour sessions with specific concepts addressed in each session as follows: Session I - designed to break down hostilities, present information about legal aspects of Driving While Intoxicated (DWI), and describe the extent of the alcohol-traffic safety problem; Session II presents cognitive information about alcohol's effects on human abilities as they relate to the driving task; Session III - examines the symptoms of problem drinking and alcoholism; Session IV - designed to aid the participants to make decisions which will prevent future DWI behavior. Preliminary evaluation of the program has found a reduced incidence of rearrest by those completing the program.