Health Protection

Health protection strategies, such as safe ride or designated driver programs, have been a mainstay of campus-based alcohol and other drug abuse prevention. These programs are intended to protect students from the short-term consequences of alcohol and other drug abuse by minimizing the risk posed by their behavior.

Impaired Driving

With an estimated 1,700 student deaths per year as a result of alcohol abuse, largely resulting from automobile crashes, many campuses have focused strong efforts on preventing driving under the influence of alcohol or other drugs. Since 1993, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention have recommended designated driver programs to address drunk driving and drugged driving. An important aspect of designated driver programs is that publicity about them reminds the public that it is irresponsible to drive after drinking or when otherwise impaired.

Designated driver programs work when drinkers are part of a group. For drinkers who would otherwise be driving home alone or riding with an impaired driver, an alternative is a safe rides program that provides safe and sober transportation. The ride home is provided free or at a reduced rate.

Medical Amnesty Policies

While worries about students driving under the influence are justified, students who engage in high-risk drinking but do not drive after drinking also face significant health and safety risks. Under such circumstances, "medical amnesty" or “Good Samaritan” policies offer additional examples of health protection strategies to reduce risks associated with alcohol and other drug abuse. While these policies differ from one institution to the next, the idea is that students should not hesitate to seek medical attention for themselves or others as a result of alcohol and other drug abuse because they fear reprisal through a disciplinary process.

Critics contend that these programs do not attempt to redirect students’ behavior, and that their presence may in fact allow students to more readily engage in high-risk alcohol or other drug use. However, so long as these strategies are part of a comprehensive approach and are implemented alongside other efforts that may include increased enforcement of laws and policies, attempts to expand substance-free opportunities and options, and efforts to promote healthier lifestyles and choices among students, they need not be considered merely “enabling,” but rather can be seen as campuses’ attempts to reduce foreseeable risks associated with common (albeit unacceptable) behavior among students.