Implement safe-rides program
Safe-rides programs are conducted by a campus or the local community to provide free or low-cost transportation, such as taxis or van shuttles, from popular drinking venues or events to residences or other safe destinations. (Note: Strategy does not seek to reduce alcohol availability, one of the most effective ways to decrease alcohol use and its consequences.)
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Effectiveness: X = Too few robust studies to rate effectiveness—or mixed results
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Cost: $$$ = Higher
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Research Amount: ** = 2 to 4 studies but no longitudinal studies
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Public Health Reach: Focused
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Staffing Expertise Needed: Coordinator
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Target Population: All students
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Research Population: General
Effectiveness ratings are based on estimated success in achieving targeted outcomes. Cost ratings are based on a consensus among research team members of the relative program and staff costs for adoption, implementation, and maintenance of a strategy. Actual costs will vary by institution, depending on size, existing programs, and other campus and community factors. Barriers to implementing a strategy include cost and opposition, among other factors. Public health reach refers to the number of students that a strategy affects. Strategies with a broad reach affect all students or a large group of students (e.g., all underage students); strategies with a focused reach affect individuals or small groups of students (e.g., sanctioned students). Research amount/quality refers to the number and design of studies.
- Harding WM, Caudill BD, Moore BA, & Frissell KC. Do drivers drink more when they use a safe ride? Journal of Substance Abuse, 13:283–90, 2001.
- Caudill BD, Harding WM, & Moore BA. At-risk drinkers use safe ride services to avoid drinking and driving. Journal of Substance Abuse, 11:149–59, 2000.
References from 2019 update
- Sarkar, S.; Andreas, M.; and de Faria, F. Who uses safe ride programs: An examination of the dynamics of individuals who use a safe ride program instead of driving home while drunk. American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse 31(2):305–325, 2005.
Resources identified only for strategies rated effective.
