Social and behavioral characteristics of young adult drink/drivers adjusted for level of alcohol use.
BACKGROUND
Alcohol consumption and drink/driving are positively correlated and many predictors of alcohol use also predict drink/driving. Past research has not fully distinguished the contributions of personal risk factors from the level of alcohol use in the prediction of drink/driving. As a result, the extent to which predictors are specific to drink/driving, versus due to a mutual association to alcohol use, is unclear.


METHODS
This study examined the unique and shared risk factors for drink/driving and alcohol use, and examined the attributable risk (AR) associated with predictors of drink/driving while adjusting for alcohol use. Study data were from a telephone survey of 3,480 Michigan-licensed young adults who were drinkers. Four groups of drink/drivers were formed based on the prior 12-month maximum severity of drink/driving: (1) never drink/driving; (2) driving at least once within an hour of 1 or 2 drinks; (3) driving within an hour of 3 or more drinks or while feeling the effects of alcohol; and (4) drinking while driving.


RESULTS
Lower perceived risk of drink/driving, greater social support for drinking and drink/driving, greater aggression and delinquency, more cigarette smoking, and more risky driving behaviors uniquely predicted drink/driving severity in models adjusted for alcohol use. The largest ARs were associated with social support for drinking and drink/driving and perceived risk of drink/driving.


CONCLUSIONS
These results confirm that alcohol use and drink/driving share risk factors, but also indicate that part of the variation in these factors is specific to drink/driving. Implications for interventions to reduce drink/driving are discussed.
Bingham
C Raymond
CR
University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA. rbingham@umich.edu
Elliott
Michael R
MR
Shope
Jean T
JT
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D000465:Algorithms; D001290:Attitude; D001334:Automobile Driving / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D003163:Competitive Behavior; D003625:Data Collection; D004493:Education; D005260:Female; D006791:Hostility; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D007604:Juvenile Delinquency / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D008824:Michigan / Q000453:epidemiology; D010551:Personality; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013689:Telephone