title: Perceived danger while intoxicated uniquely contributes to driving after drinking.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Previous findings suggest that alcohol alters perceptions of risky behaviors such as drinking and driving. However, studies testing these perceptions as a predictor of drinking and driving typically measure these perceptions while participants are sober. This study tested whether the perceived danger of driving after drinking assessed while intoxicated was associated with increased willingness to drive and self-reported drinking-and-driving behavior over and above perceptions assessed while sober. Additionally, we tested the effect of acute tolerance on the perceived danger of driving after drinking assessed on the ascending and descending limbs of the breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) curve.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty-two young adults attended 2 counterbalanced laboratory sessions. In one session, participants consumed a moderate dose of alcohol (men: 0.72 g/kg, women: 0.65 g/kg) and reported their perceived danger of driving and willingness to drive at multiple points across the BrAC curve. On a separate occasion, participants remained sober and appraised the dangerousness of driving at a hypothetical, illegal BrAC.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Perceptions of the dangerousness of driving following alcohol administration were associated with increased willingness to drive and higher rates of self-reported drinking-and-driving behavior over and above perceptions reported when sober. Furthermore, perceived danger was reduced on the descending limb of the BrAC curve, compared with the ascending limb, suggesting the occurrence of acute tolerance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results from this study suggest that intoxicated perceptions are uniquely associated with drinking-and-driving decisions and that the perceived danger of drinking and driving is lower on the descending limb of the BrAC curve. Efforts to prevent alcohol-impaired driving have focused on increasing awareness of the danger of driving after drinking. Prevention efforts may be enhanced by educating drivers about how intoxication can alter perceived danger, and interventions may benefit from targeting perceptions of dangerousness while individuals are intoxicated in addition to when they are sober.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri.
authors.forename: David H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Morris
authors.forename: Hayley R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Treloar
authors.forename: Maria E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Niculete
authors.forename: Denis M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: McCarthy
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000523:psychology*; D000435:Alcoholic Intoxication / Q000523:psychology*; D001334:Automobile Driving / Q000523:psychology*; D001944:Breath Tests; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants / Q000097:blood; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D004361:Drug Tolerance; D000431:Ethanol / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010465:Perception; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants; D000431:Ethanol
keywords: Alcohol Administration; College Students; Drinking and Driving; Perceived Danger
references.citation: Addiction. 1996 Dec;91(12):1843-57
references.pmid: 8997765
references.citation: Exp Clin Psychopharmacol. 2008 Jun;16(3):240-50
references.pmid: 18540784
references.citation: J Stud Alcohol Drugs. 2007 Nov;68(6):843-51
references.pmid: 17960302
references.citation: Psychol Addict Behav. 2007 Sep;21(3):425-30
references.pmid: 17874895
references.citation: Traffic Inj Prev. 2012;13(1):24-30
references.pmid: 22239140
references.citation: Addiction. 1994 May;89(5):593-601
references.pmid: 8044126
references.citation: Psychol Addict Behav. 2012 Sep;26(3):384-92
references.pmid: 21688876
references.citation: J Pers Soc Psychol. 1995 Jun;68(6):973-85
references.pmid: 7608860
references.citation: Exp Clin Psychopharmacol. 2003 May;11(2):167-75
references.pmid: 12755461
references.citation: Am J Prev Med. 2005 May;28(4):346-50
references.pmid: 15831339
references.citation: MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2011 Oct 7;60(39):1351-6
references.pmid: 21976118
references.citation: Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2008 Apr;32(4):639-44
references.pmid: 18341648
references.citation: Psychol Bull. 1993 Nov;114(3):459-76
references.pmid: 8272466
references.citation: Psychol Bull. 1995 Nov;118(3):392-404
references.pmid: 7501743
references.citation: Am Psychol. 1990 Aug;45(8):921-33
references.pmid: 2221564
references.citation: Psychol Addict Behav. 2007 Dec;21(4):441-452
references.pmid: 18072826
references.citation: Exp Clin Psychopharmacol. 1997 Feb;5(1):14-23
references.pmid: 9234035
references.citation: Psychol Assess. 2003 Dec;15(4):446-55
references.pmid: 14692841
references.citation: Drug Alcohol Depend. 2006 Jun 28;83(2):137-46
references.pmid: 16364565
references.citation: Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2005 Nov;182(3):452-9
references.pmid: 16075287
references.citation: Health Psychol. 2000 May;19(3):290-8
references.pmid: 10868774
references.citation: J Health Commun. 2010 Mar;15(2):218-32
references.pmid: 20390988
references.citation: J Abnorm Psychol. 1986 May;95(2):159-67
references.pmid: 3711440
references.citation: J Forensic Sci. 2000 Jan;45(1):3-6
references.pmid: 10641911
references.citation: J Stud Alcohol Drugs. 2009 Jul;70(4):536-42
references.pmid: 19515293
references.citation: J Stud Alcohol. 1999 Jan;60(1):54-63
references.pmid: 10096309
references.citation: Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2007 Apr;31(4):655-64
references.pmid: 17374045
references.citation: J Stud Alcohol. 2002 Jul;63(4):476-85
references.pmid: 12160107
references.citation: Psychol Addict Behav. 2009 Jun;23(2):238-47
references.pmid: 19586140
references.citation: Exp Clin Psychopharmacol. 2010 Aug;18(4):329-39
references.pmid: 20695689
references.citation: Am J Prev Med. 2001 Nov;21(4 Suppl):66-88
references.pmid: 11691562
references.citation: J Pers Soc Psychol. 1997 Feb;72(2):253-61
references.pmid: 9107000
references.citation: Alcohol Res Health. 2003;27(1):63-78
references.pmid: 15301401
references.citation: Drug Alcohol Rev. 2012 Mar;31(2):206-12
references.pmid: 22050096