The campaign including approximately 360 state and local law enforcement agencies aims to get drivers to use their common sense to prevent unnecessary injuries and death, according to Steve Olson with the Department of Transportation.
Olson says if you’re impaired, don’t drive. Simple. Who’s the biggest culprit? “We know who’s primarily responsible. It’s young males, usually from the ages of 21 to about 30.”
Olson says young males are most likely to drive drunk and possibly kill someone on the roads, or get themselves killed. That’s why much of their advertising is targeted toward that demographic.
Considering that age group changes their listening and reading habits as technology changes, Olson says the DOT’s method of delivering this message must change accordingly. “We’re using more web-based communications these days … we’re trying new and novel approaches we probably didn’t think of four or five years ago.”
He says it’s a constant challenge. But one thing remains the same — the love of sports. Olson says they heavily advertise during Packers and Brewers games. About 40 percent of all fatal traffic crashes in Wisconsin are alcohol-related, with roughly 280 deaths each year and 5,000 injuries — all preventable. Wisconsin has the highest rate of drunken driving in the nation.