Citation

Torres P, Romano EO, Voas RB, De La Rosa M, Lacey JH. J. Saf. Res. 2014; 48: 95-101.

Affiliation

Pacific Institute for Research & Evaluation, 11720 Beltsville Drive, Suite 900, Calverton, MD 20705-3111, USA. Electronic address: lacey@pire.org.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, U.S. National Safety Council, Publisher Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.jsr.2013.12.005

PMID

24529097

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: The literature presents a puzzling picture of Latinos being overrepresented in alcohol-related crashes, but not in noncrash drinking and driving. This report examines if, like other demographic variables in which some groups are at a higher crash risk than others (e.g., young drivers), different racial/ethnic groups face different crash risks. METHOD: This study compares blood-alcohol information from the 2006-2007 U.S. Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) with control data from the 2007 U.S. National Roadside Survey. Logistic regression, including a dual interaction between BAC and race/ethnicity, was used to estimate crash risk at different BAC levels. RESULTS: It was found that, although Hispanic and African-American drivers were less likely to be involved in single-vehicle crashes than their White counterparts, all drivers face similar BAC relative crash risk regardless of their group membership. The overrepresentation of Latino drivers in alcohol-related crashes could be explained by differences in patterns of consumption, driving exposure, lack of awareness of driving rules, and/or socioeconomics.

Language: en