title: Gasoline prices and their relationship to drunk-driving crashes.
abstract: This study investigates the relationship between changing gasoline prices and drunk-driving crashes. Specifically, we examine the effects of gasoline prices on drunk-driving crashes in Mississippi by several crash types and demographic groups at the monthly level from 2004 to 2008, a period experiencing great fluctuation in gasoline prices. An exploratory visualization by graphs shows that higher gasoline prices are generally associated with fewer drunk-driving crashes. Higher gasoline prices depress drunk-driving crashes among young and adult drivers, among male and female drivers, and among white and black drivers. Results from negative binomial regression models show that when gas prices are higher, there are fewer drunk-driving crashes, particularly among property-damage-only crashes. When alcohol consumption levels are higher, there are more drunk-driving crashes, particularly fatal and injury crashes. The effects of gasoline prices and alcohol consumption are stronger on drunk-driving crashes than on all crashes. The findings do not vary much across different demographic groups. Overall, gasoline prices have greater effects on less severe crashes and alcohol consumption has greater effects on more severe crashes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, Mississippi State University, PO Box C, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USA. gchi@ssrc.msstate.edu
authors.forename: Guangqing
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Chi
authors.forename: Xuan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Timothy E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: McClure
authors.forename: Paul A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Gilbert
authors.forename: Arthur G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Cosby
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Angela A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Robertson
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Levinson
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000435:Alcoholic Intoxication / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003132:Commerce / Q000191:economics* / Q000639:trends; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D005742:Gasoline / Q000191:economics* / Q000600:supply & distribution; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008922:Mississippi; D012622:Seat Belts / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012737:Sex Factors; D014478:Unemployment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D005742:Gasoline