The Traffic Injury Research Foundation has prepared a new report: ‘The Problem of Youth Drugged Driving and Approaches to Prevention: A Systematic Literature Review’ on behalf of the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse (CCSA). The report was made possible through a financial contribution from Health Canada’s Drug Strategy Community Initiatives Fund. It examines the effectiveness of drugged driving prevention programs and media/awareness campaigns in deterring youth from driving under the influence of drugs to inform future prevention initiatives in this area. This systematic review included studies that evaluated programs aimed at preventing drugged driving, that were targeted at youth audiences, and that were published in English and available to the public.

Education and prevention programs might be effective in changing youth perceptions of the risks of drug-impaired driving, while media and awareness campaigns might be effective in increasing awareness of different facets of the issue. The teaching of coping skills, life skills and peer pressure resistance strategies, as well as having youth assume leadership roles, could build self-esteem. Youth-centric, youth-created, culturally-sensitive, factual messaging is important to ensure information is believable and easily understood by the target audience. In addition, the involvement of parents and engagement of the community could expand the outreach and impact of prevention initiatives.

While definitive conclusions about the impact of programs and campaigns on behaviour could not be drawn due to the limited body of literature, the review did identify promising prevention strategies that affected knowledge and changed attitudes. These findings can be utilized in the development of future youth drugged driving prevention initiatives.