Approximately 62% of Missouri college students drive a vehicle while attending classes on campus.
It is imperative that both students, and the adults in their lives know the best ways to keep them safe while operating a vehicle. This toolkit will provide established resources and ideas for administrators to promote, educate, prevent and act on safe driving topics.
Impaired Driving
Impaired driving effects every college campus in Missouri. While many associate impaired driving with drunk driving, or alcohol-impaired driving, other drugs and substances can impair driving as well. With the passing of amendment 3 in Missouri, cannabis-impaired driving should be of concern to administrators. So, what can be done to prevent impaired driving? Educate students about impaired driving? And promote safe, sober driving?
PIP resources that are available to you:
State of Missouri Alcohol Responsibility Training (SMART)
SMART is a 100% free, fully online, available 24/7 alcohol responsibility training. This training can be taken by bar staff (bartenders, servers, bar managers, security) as well as retail staff (gas stations, liquor stores, or any other retail stores that sell alcohol). Employees will learn how to check IDs, serve alcohol safely and responsibly, keep intoxicated patrons calm and safe, and more. Administrators are encouraged to ‘market’ SMART to nearby establishments that serve students, this can be a key prevention effort that keeps students from being overserved, served underage, or driving while intoxicated.
- SMART training: smartmo.education
- SMART informational website: mopip.org/SMART
- SMART promotional items: mopip.wufoo.com/forms/kykv2og0mavtv8
CHEERS to the Designated Driver (CHEERS)
CHEERS is a campaign and program that establishments across Missouri are invited to join, which is a vow to provide free non-alcoholic drinks to patrons who identify themselves as the designated driver. Administrators can help recruit local establishments to become CHEERS establishments using the PIP CHEERS Recruitment Toolkit.
- CHEERS informational website: mopip.org/CHEERS
- CHEERS recruitment toolkit: *can we please put a downloadable link for this toolkit here*
- CHEERS promotional items: mopip.wufoo.com/forms/qsm3sde09qi667
Drive Safe Drive Smart (DSDS)
Drive Safe Drive Smart is a promotional campaign that focuses on safe driving practices, but especially on impaired driving.
Drive Safe Drive Smart has promotional materials like posters, but its main facet its social media messaging. For every major holiday or aspect of the school year (i.e. spring break) PIP posts messaging regarding designated drivers, not driving impaired, and safe driving habits. See examples below, these posts are available for our campuses to re-post and share with students.
- DSDS informational website: mopip.org/DSDS
- DSDS materials: mopip.wufoo.com/forms/q13htoyk0ypi4k2
PartySafe
PartySafe is an online program that PIP created that can be used to educate students about how to be safe if they choose to host a party. It covers topics like not serving minors, promoting rideshare programs, and when to call for help. PartySafe can be used as a response to a conduct violation or as a prevention tool for students and student groups.
- PartySafe training: Missouri Partners in Prevention Trainings
- PartySafe materials: mopip.wufoo.com/forms/k1y4w78k1au6a6w
Other Resources
- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Take on Social Norming for Impaired Driving: socialnorms.pdf
- NHSTA social norming media campaigns: If You Feel Different, You Drive Different | Traffic Safety Marketing
- Interesting brief article on impaired driving on campuses from the DEA: College Students are Still Driving Impaired and We Need to Do Something About It | Campus Drug Prevention
- Peer to Peer Impaired Driving Intervention: U in the Driver Seat – A collegiate peer-to-peer program dedicated to ending impaired driving
- The National Association of Student Personnel Administrators Collegiate Traffic Safety Toolkit: 2021_CollegiateTrafficSafety_Toolkit_R2.pdf
- Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drugs (HECAOD) Guide for Preventing Impaired Driving and Underage Drinking: Safe Lanes on Campus A Guide for Preventing Impaired Driving and Underage Drinking
Distracted Driving
While commonly overlooked in comparison to impaired driving, distracted driving is also an extremely unsafe driving habit. Distracted driving can include behaviors like texting, calling, and even as ‘small’ as looking for things in the car. Distracted driving is accountable for thousands of traffic related deaths and injuries every year.
In 2024, the Siddens Bening Hands-Free Law was introduced in Missouri to make it illegal to operate an electronic device while driving. This law is important to understand for not only yourself, but the students you work with. Breaking this law can lead to fines, points on your license, and in cases of accidents, even arrests.
Making sure students are aware of this law and its importance is a crucial part of safe driving messaging.
Partners in Prevention works closely with the Missouri Department of Transportation to provide messaging about the Siddens Bening Law and distracted driving. Find links to media messaging and countermeasures that work below.
- National Safety Center’s Distracted Driving Social Media Toolkit: Social Media Kit for DDAM – National Safety Council
- Distracted Driving Statistics from the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety: Distracted Driving | Missouri Department of Transportation
- Article about the impact of education on distracted driving: The Impact of an Educational Intervention on Distracted Driving Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behaviors Among College Students | Journal of Community Health
- While interventions are limited, read about a pilot project being directed by the Colorado Department of Transportation: Helping College Students Consider the Dangers of Distracted Driving — Colorado Department of Transportation
Crash Safety
Even as adults, in the heat of a crash, many people have a hard time remembering what information to collect to ensure the safety of themselves and others and report to insurance. Ensuring an environment that is focused on safe driving means preparing everyone for what to do in case of a crash/accident.
College students are at a higher risk for car crashes due to driving in a new/unfamiliar place, some students are newer drivers, and there is potential for impaired driving. Students may come to you to help deal with the stress of a car crash or the consequences that come from them. It is good to think about the advice you can provide them in these cases outside of mental health related help.
- Suggest they find a local lawyer if they need one.
- Suggest they engage with their insurance company as much as possible to understand their coverage.
- Suggest they let their professors know what they are dealing with in case it effects their ability to get to class or get assignments done.
- Suggest they seek mental health resources on campus for stress management reasons.
- Suggest they carry crash information cards in their car to keep track of key information they will need for an insurance claim or police report. Find PIP’s crash information card available below for printing.
Download our Crash Information Card here!
Weather and Other Maintenance
Last but not least, ensuring that students are aware of other safe driving habits related to weather, and car maintenance can reduce chances of traffic crashes. Here are some ideas for helping students navigate bad weather and other car maintenance issues to keep campus and surrounding areas roadways safe.
Weather
- Encourage students to abstain from driving if the weather is dangerously inclement. This can mean during bad rain storms, snow, or icy conditions.
- Encourage students to be prepared if they do choose to drive in inclement weather. Meaning having their car stocked with an umbrella/poncho, a tow trap, an ice scraper, and more.
Having items stocked in your office, or for tabling events, like ice scrapers or mini flashlights to give out to students can be helpful, and may be the only way a student has access to one.
Navigating Winter Weather for College Students: Navigating Winter Weather: College Student’s Guide to Safe Driving – College News
Download the MoDOT Traveler Information App! Missouri Department of Transportation’s app for tracking inclement weather and its effect on the roadways.
Maintenance
- Encourage students to have a ‘car safety’ kit in their car in the case of a car maintenance emergency.
- Some things to include in this kit might be jumper cables, a spare tire, tire changing tools, and a tire pressure gauge.
- Another small item administrators can hand out to students to keep in their car are mini first aid kits. These are a great addition to any car safety kit in the case that the driver or passenger may get a minor injury while driving or during a fender bender.
Here is a great checklist for college drivers: College Student’s Car Prep Checklist! | HEART Certified Auto Care