Document Type
Portfolio
Publication Date
Winter 1-29-2026
Abstract
Goal Statement
My goal to address alcohol-related traffic fatalities in Whatcom County is to reduce the prevalence of these fatalities by 20% over two years through preventative community education and targeted enforcement programs to decrease high-risk drinking behaviors in college-age youth.
Significant Findings
There has been a significant rise in alcohol-related traffic fatalities within Whatcom County, upwards of 50% of fatal car accidents in 2024 involving alcohol; 67.8% higher than the national average (CDC, 2024; Starks et al.,2025). The population most impacted by this public health risk is 21-24 year-olds, especially young men, who are four times more likely to be involved in fatal alcohol-related traffic accidents (Assailly & Cestac, 2018; Goldfogel et al., 2021; NHTSA, n.d). Key findings include high accessibility of alcohol outlets, high-risk-taking behavior among young adults, permissive attitudes toward impaired driving, and limited late-night public transportation, all of which contribute to increasing rates of alcohol-related traffic fatalities in Whatcom County (Assailly & Cestac, 2018; Goldfogel et al., 2021; NHTSA, n.d.; Sakar et al., 2005). Protective factors and prevention efforts for this issue include increasing awareness of impaired-driving risks among youth, improving public transit accessibility, implementing community-driven, peer-led, evidence-based prevention programs in schools, and changing legislative policies at the local and state levels to deter impaired driving (Fell et al., 2013; Garza et al., 2018; Namoos et al., 2025; Washington Traffic Safety Commission, 2025).
Objectives/Strategies/Interventions/Next Steps
The first recommended objective is to address the issue of impaired driving in Whatcom County through community-led interventions like the Promoting School-community-university Partnerships to Enhance Resilience (PROSPER) program. Implementing this community-led program in Western Washington University (WWU), Bellingham School District, and the Whatcom Community Coalition would help to bring evidence-based prevention programs like Strengthening Families and Life Skills training to Whatcom County Youth and families. The second objective is to expand public transit within Whatcom County. Partnering with the Whatcom Transportation Authority to expand bus routes and route times into late weekend hours could significantly reduce the number of impaired drivers during high-risk periods. A third objective includes partnering with WWU student groups to develop peer-led initiatives for preventing impaired driving. By partnering with student coalitions, this could increase the engagement of 21-24-year-olds in said prevention programs through peer-to-peer interventions. A fourth objective involves addressing local policies related to DUI laws and regulations. This could be achieved by partnering with local government, such as the city council, to draft initiatives to implement saturation patrols and sobriety checkpoints during high-risk periods for impaired driving, such as weekends or holidays. The last objective for addressing impaired driving in Whatcom County is to improve community partnerships between WWU student health care programs and community substance abuse programs. This can be achieved by developing a formal referral process from WWU to local substance use treatment programs to reduce barriers to accessing substance use treatment for college-age youth.
