School based alcohol-education programs are critical components of underage drinking prevention. Dedicated alcohol beverage taxes and other assessments on the impaired driver can provide additional financing for effective programs. The costs of enforcement, prosecution and adjudication of offenders as well as treatment programs should be offset by costs imposed on those who use and abuse alcohol products by driving under the influence. All states now recognize drunk driving as a crime, and all states now make victim compensation funds available to victims of alcohol-related crashes. However, there is a wide disparagement in the allowable maximum compensation awards between the states and the timeliness of processing compensation claims.
Many states take far too long to process claims, some up to two years.
All states have adopted victim rights laws, although not all states have codified them into a Victims' Bill of Rights. 31 states have enacted state constitutional amendments for victim rights to better guarantee that victims receive justice and equal protection under the law. MADD continues to be one of the largest victim advocate organizations providing help to victims and serving as the voice of the DUI victim in pursuit and protection of their rights. A more balanced awareness of the needs and rights of the victim comparable to those of the accused, is becoming a reality. Victim Advocate training programs, victim impact panels, and victim's support group programs draw on the experiences of the victims to help others and to deter further victimization.