“Most Steer Clear” Media Campaign Works to Prevent Impaired Driving
March 4, 2026
Most Steer Clear isn’t about telling people what not to do. It’s about recognizing what most people are already doing, which is making smart choices, looking out for their friends, and choosing safer ways to get where they need to go. The campaign started in 2017, due to a growing fear that legalization would bring an increase in DUI fatalities. To head off this impending risk, the WTSC contracted with Neighborhood House, to design a Positive Community Norms media campaign to prevent driving after cannabis use focusing on young adults. Since then, the campaign has extended its reach to include alcohol, pills, and other drugs and to include King, Pierce and Snohomish counties.
Most Steer Clear seeks to shift the false narrative that “everyone uses cannabis” and that driving after cannabis use is not risky. Young adults often make decisions based on what they think everyone else is doing. When risky behavior seems common, it feels acceptable. When safer behavior feels common, it becomes easier to choose. Research has shown that correcting misperceptions about substance use leads to reduced risky behavior, increased peer accountability, and stronger community trust. Most Steer Clear exists to make the invisible majority visible. By shifting the narrative and promoting the fact that most (91%) young adults drive sober, we reduce peer pressure, increase confidence in safe decisions such as pre planning a sober ride home, and increase peers intervening to keep each other safe.
David Cruz, the Communications Lead for the Most Steer Clear campaign, says, “We try to meet our audience where they are at – universities, bars, train stations, on the road with billboards, on social media, and online video ads. This way, no matter how you get around or consume your content, you will see our messaging.”
Cruz goes on to say, “Messaging doesn’t matter if you don’t have the data to back it up. We partner with the University of Washington’s Young Adult Health Survey, for updated annual data specific to King, Pierce and Snohomish Counties that is timely and credible.” The Young Adult Health Survey also helps measure the impact of the campaign showing a 35% decrease in young adults reporting they drive after alcohol or cannabis use from 2017-2024 in the tri county area compared to a 16% decrease in other counties in Washington State. Most Steer Clear is pleased to see that traffic fatalities among those under age 25 in the tri-county area decreased from 88 in 2023 to 60 in 2024 and they are working to keep that trend going down.
With the World Cup coming to Seattle this year, Most Steer Clear is gearing up for a busy season. Ruby Jean Byron, a grad student at Seattle University who helps with the campaign, says, “We know the World Cup brings a lot of new people to our city but also a lot of celebrations. We are creating some great material for the city and want to make sure everyone enjoys the games and gets home safely.” Most Steer Clear will continue to highlight positive behavior and empower communities to choose safety.
The Most Steer Clear campaign uses state wide data for most materials so that anyone in Washington State can utilize the campaign. Follow them @moststeerclear or contact David Cruz davidc@nwha.org for more information.
Read the whole The Roundabout Safe Travels Quarterly Report
