Does public shaming deter drunk driving? A controlled interrupted time-series study
摘要
This study reports the one-year impact of a social media campaign aimed at deterring drunk driving in El Paso, Texas. Every Friday evening, a police department and community group uploaded booking photos of people arrested for driving while intoxicated (DWI) to social media accounts. Alcohol-related vehicle crashes were evaluated to assess the campaign’s deterrent effect.
MethodsBayesian structural time-series analysis was conducted with 55 months of vehicle crash data. To isolate the campaign’s effect, several control-series were incorporated, such as public transportation usage and alcohol sales, as well as crash trends in other Texas cities.
ResultsOverall analyses suggest the campaign was associated with a modest reduction in alcohol-related crashes. Subgroup analyses by driver age revealed strong evidence the campaign was associated with reductions among drivers ages 31 years and older. Drivers between the ages 21 to 30 showed no evidence of a reduction.
ConclusionThe findings underscore both the potential and legal limits of social media campaigns as tools for crime prevention.