Responsibility.org, in partnership with Cambridge Health Alliance, a Harvard Medical School Teaching Hospital, developed the Computerized Assessment and Referral System (CARS), first launched in 2017.
Now evolved into CARS Connect, this cloud‑based platform represents a significant advancement in efforts to prevent drunk and impaired driving.
Research shows that
44%
of repeat DUI offenders have a lifetime history of mental health disorders in addition to alcohol or drug use disorders.
CARS Connect is designed to help identify these disorders and connect the offenders with appropriate treatment.
It is accessible for broad use by courts, clinicians, and communities nationwide.
When DUI offenders get the mental health diagnoses and treatment that they need, they are less likely to drive drunk again in the future.
Access CARS Connect at www.carsconnect.org.
Explore research-based resources for judges and practitioners that informed the development of the CARS tool, beginning with new summaries focused on mental health and repeat DUI behavior here.
CARS at a Glance
The CARS mental health assessment tool is based on the World Health Organization’s Composite International Diagnostic Interview (or CIDI)
A report summarizing the experiences of the pilot sites and providing recommendations for CARS implementation is available here.
CARS Connect is available for use in the broader population as a mental health screening instrument. The CARS Mental Health Screener will be useful for physicians, mental health professionals, first responders, and veteran service organizations.
For more information, access the full CARS synopsis or contact Chris Konschak, Responsibility.org’s Senior Director of Traffic Safety and Government Relations at chris.konschak@responsibility.org.