West Virginia's Impaired Driving High Visiblity Enforcement Campaign 2003-2005 (Report)

During the 2003 July 4th holiday period, West Virginia kicked off their 27-month impaired driving high-visibility enforcement campaign that ended in September 2005.  This campaign, which was designed to reduce impaired driving and ultimately, alcohol-related crash fatalities, consisted of three main components: 1) media with an enforcement message, 2) enhanced periods of enforcement surrounding summer and winter holidays focusing on the use of sobriety checkpoints, and 3) sustained enforcement between holidays. The enforcement component involved two crackdowns.  Each crackdown was to cover 85 percent of the States population and use sobriety checkpoints or saturation patrols.  Paid and earned media supported West Virginias DWI enforcement by delivering a strong enforcement message. In targeted counties, West Virginia significantly reduced the alcohol-related fatality trend and the number of drivers with a positive BAC when they implemented the full NHTSA impaired driving campaign model.  The reduction in alcohol-related fatalities saved an estimated 18 lives over an 18-month period in West Virginia.