Evaluation of a local designated driver and responsible server program to prevent drinking and driving

Point of purchase interventions by beverage alcohol servers provide one promising approach to preventing drinking and driving and many communities now support such programs. To evaluate the impact of a designated driver and responsible server program in Houston, we assessed server training courses, observed and interviewed servers and patrons at five establishments participating in the program, and reviewed the distribution of vouchers awarded for a safe ride home by taxi. The training course for alcoholic beverage servers produced significant improvements in the participants' perceptions about their role in preventing drunk driving. In five participating establishments 15.6 percent of servers wore buttons announcing the establishment's participation in the program; immediately after retraining 26.6 percent wore the buttons. Of the eligible patrons in these establishments 6.6 percent actually participated in the designated driver program. The program provided an average of 0.7 safe ride home vouchers per establishment per month. In one additional establishment an experiment was conducted in which servers always announced the designated driver program to patrons, but no increase in the prevalence of designated drivers occurred.