An Evaluation of Mississippi’s Impaired Driving Intervention Program for First Time Offenders

The Mississippi Alcohol Safety Education Program (MASEP) is a statewide court-mandated intervention for individuals convicted of a first offense driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol or another drug. Studies of MASEP’s impact on repeat DUI offending have found that people who complete the program have significantly lower rates of recidivism than those who do not complete or enroll. In the current evaluation study, we address the effectiveness of MASEP by centering participant perceptions through self-report surveys. The evaluation was conducted with MASEP participants who received the Sixth Edition (2017) of the MASEP curriculum and who completed pre/post-intervention surveys. In general, study participants were very satisfied with the program and rated program components as very helpful. Participants reported decreases in alcohol use, increases in use of prescription medications that may impair driving, but no change in cannabis use. Alcohol impaired driving decreased, and approximately 9% reported alcohol- or drug-impaired driving after program completion. Continued substance misuse and engaging in other high-risk driving behaviors were associated with impaired driving post intervention.