Feds target Hispanic drunken driving
Published 9:00 pm Wednesday, December 10, 2003
WASHINGTON — For the first time, the government is launching a drunken-driving campaign targeting Hispanics, who are at higher risk of death in alcohol-related accidents.
Alcohol-related crashes account for half of all Hispanic traffic deaths, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In the general population, alcohol-related crashes accounted for 41 percent of traffic deaths in 2002.
"States have been clamoring for good-quality Spanish-language materials," agency spokesman Rae Tyson said Wednesday.
Spanish-language radio and television ads featuring Latin music and rap are being distributed nationally to Hispanic stations. Brochures and posters will be sent to clinics and other groups that serve Hispanics.
The agency developed the materials along with the Latino Council on Alcohol and Tobacco Prevention and has been testing them in North Carolina, New Mexico and Texas.
Tyson said NHTSA doesn’t have figures showing how much has been spent on the campaign.
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