The Coalition to End Needless Death on Our Roadways (END) is a broad coalition founded by physicians and other health care providers dedicated to developing and implementing new and innovative strategies to address impaired and distracted driving.
The medical community can play a large role in creating an environment where unsafe driving behaviors become unacceptable. Physicians, nurses, and emergency medical services (EMS) professionals see the tragic effects of motor vehicle crashes every day, giving them the desire to take the lead to bring about change. These healthcare providers have the unique qualifications and abilities to speak with passion, experience, and authority on the devastation impaired and distracted driving can cause.
Through END, healthcare professionals have unified and amplified their voices in addressing impaired, distracted and other dangerous driving, and advancing the cause of injury prevention. The respect of healthcare professionals in the community provides credibility on this issue to public officials and other decision makers.. It also assists in keeping these issues in the forefront so that we can significantly improve public health and safety.
One example of an innovative strategy END supports is alcohol and drug screening and brief intervention protocol. This protocol can lead to reductions in impaired driving episodes, which in turn leads to fewer alcohol and drug-related crashes. Studies have determined that brief interventions, which are five- to 15- minute counseling sessions that highlight the negative consequences of the individual’s substance use, are effective in decreasing harmful behaviors.1
Since 2004, END has produced its annual Fatal Fifteen report, which lists the deadliest states in the country for alcohol related driving. This report illustrates the need to prevent dangerous driving behavior to save lives.
Additionally, END coalition members have participated in selected media events to keep the dangers of distracted and impaired driving in the public consciousness.
END has called on governors and other leaders in the Fatal Fifteen to create or refocus task forces in their states that are dedicated to exploring innovative strategies to address impaired, distracted and other dangerous driving behaviors.
1 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, (July 2005), Retrieved June 10, 2010, “Alcohol Alert”, Web site:http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa66/aa66.htm .
