Background NHTSA currently offers States an opportunity for an outside review of their respective impaired driving programs. At the request of the individual States, NHTSA has completed assessments of 30 different State impaired driving programs. NHTSA assembles teams of non-federal experts who use NHTSA guidelines to assess State activities in such programmatic areas as management, control, prevention, deterrence, driver licensing, community programs, data and records, and evaluation. The team provides its recommendations for improvements to the State's programs.

Objectives NHTSA desires an overall examination of the completed impaired driving program assessments for the initial purpose of determining common programmatic strengths and weaknesses that the assessed States may share (Phase One). A follow-on evaluation (Phase Two), if warranted, would be an effort to document the impact of the assessment program on the ability of States to improve impaired driving programs.

Approach Phase One is a comparative analysis of completed Impaired Driving Program State assessments done by reviewing the reports, compiling findings and recommendations, synthesizing the compiled information by program area, and developing an overall summation. Phase Two would be an outcome evaluation done to assess the cost-effectiveness of assessment efforts by identifying actual outcomes in State programs that occurred as a result of an assessment; identifying pending program changes due to assessment results; identifying practical benefits of the assessment process according to the States; identify recommended process improvements that may make assessments more responsive to State needs; and, indicate areas of potential refinement in the assessment process. Completion of Phase One is expected in 2004.