title: Predicting self-reported drink driving among middle-aged women.
abstract: A substantial and sustained increase in the proportion of drink drivers that is female is observed in many parts of the motorised world. Given this trend, a better understanding of the factors that influence drink driving among women is needed. The current study investigated drink driving among middle-aged women, a relatively under-researched group of female drink drivers. A total of 781 women (age; M=51.36, SD=4.29years) completed a cross-sectional survey measuring a number of alcohol beliefs and drink driving. Among the included alcohol beliefs, viewing alcohol as a form of social enhancement as well as higher perceived heavy episodic drinking among same-aged women and greater acceptability toward this consumption pattern significantly increased the likelihood of self-reported drink driving. However, after adjusting for harmful consumption patterns, only alcohol as form of social enhancement remained significant. These results indicate that middle-aged women who engage in harmful alcohol consumption are more likely to drink drive, but also that the social aspect of drinking is a risk factor. Targeting both harmful consumption patterns as well as alcohol beliefs that are held by middle-aged women may reduce the incidence of drink driving in this group.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety-Queensland(CARRS-Q), 130 Victoria Park Road, QLD 4059, Australia. Electronic address: hanna.watling@qut.edu.au.
authors.forename: Hanna
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Watling
authors.affiliation: Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety-Queensland(CARRS-Q), 130 Victoria Park Road, QLD 4059, Australia. Electronic address: ka.armstrong@qut.edu.au.
authors.forename: Kerry A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Armstrong
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000523:psychology*; D001315:Australia; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D000066448:Driving Under the Influence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D057566:Self Report; D012737:Sex Factors
keywords: Alcohol beliefs; Drink driving; Harmful alcohol consumption; Middle-age; Women