New Anti-Drunk Driving Program Aimed at Latinos

State safety officials launched a program Friday to turn around the growing number of drunken driving incidents among Latinos.

The California Office of Traffic Safety officials introduced a two-year bilingual educational campaign against drinking and driving at a Los Angeles news conference attended by dozens of traffic officials and prominent Latino leaders.

“Stricter laws and enforcement are not enough,” said traffic safety program director Marilyn Sabin. “Our challenge is to modify the behavior of those who in the past have chosen to drive while under the influence.”

Last year, 35% of the 327,186 Californians arrested while driving under the influence were Latino, traffic safety officials said.

A recent study indicates that “little has been done to reach out to the Hispanic community directly,” said campaign advisory board chairman Bill Davila.

Some ways that officials plan to reach out to the state’s Latino population include bilingual movie, television, radio and print public service announcements; in-school contests and lesson plans; posters and videos.

“We’re not here to tell people not to drink,” Davila said. “Our goal is to change the behavior of those who drink and drive with the end result of decreasing (drunken driving) incidents and saving lives.”