Citation

Schechtman E, Shinar D, Compton C. Transp. Res. F Traffic Psychol. Behav. 1999; 2(1): 15-26.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1999, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/S1369-8478(99)00004-2

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The purpose of this project was to assess the relationship between reported drinking habits and three driving behaviors: drinking and driving, using safety belts, and observing the speed limits. The data base consisted of the results of annual surveys of a representative sample of the American adult population, conducted over an 11-year period from 1985 to 1995.Over the 11-year period there was a consistent positive trend in refraining from drinking and driving: from 71.6% reporting they never drink and drive in 1985 to 79.1% in 1995; i.e., a relative improvement of 10%. The tendency to refrain from drinking and driving was negatively associated with the reported frequency of drinking and - to a lesser degree - with the reported amount of drinking done in a drinking session. The more often and more alcohol people drank, the less likely they were to report that they never drink and drive. Two other safety behaviors that were available - use of safety belts and observing the speed limit were not systematically associated with the two measures of the drinking habits, though use of safety belts was negatively related to the amount of drinking.These results imply that educational and public information campaigns to separate drinking from driving are only moderately successful, since those who drink frequently are more likely to drink and drive. Furthermore, although the percent of drivers who report drinking and driving has declined over the 11-year study period, the relationship between the likelihood of drinking and driving and the frequency and amount of drinking have not changed very much. If further gains are to be made in this area, attention must be focused on the frequent drinkers and the approach must be one of basic life style changes that would improve both health and driving safety.