Drinking location and risk of alcohol-impaired driving among high school seniors

Addict Behav. 1997 May-Jun;22(3):387-93. doi: 10.1016/s0306-4603(96)00045-7.

Abstract

This study investigated environmental predictors of teenagers' alcohol-impaired driving, such as drinking location and alcohol source. Data for this study were part of the 15 Communities Mobilizing for Change on Alcohol Project. Relationships between drinking-driver status, alcohol source, drinking location, alcohol consumption, and individual demographics were determined for the full sample as well as for males and females separately, using mixed-model, logistic regression. Analyses were restricted to high school seniors who were drivers and who consumed alcohol within the last 30 days (N = 1,914). For males and females, the risk of alcohol-impaired driving rose significantly with increases in both the number of binge-drinking events and estimates of the number of drinks required to impair their driving. Drinking location was important in that students who drank outdoors or in a moving car or truck were at significant risk for drinking-driving. Drinking-driving risks specific to females were number of drinking occasions and drinking at someone else's house. Strategies to prevent drinking-driving among teenagers need to consider drinking patterns as well as drinking locations for both males and females.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Alcohol Drinking / adverse effects
  • Alcohol Drinking / epidemiology
  • Alcohol Drinking / psychology*
  • Alcoholic Intoxication / epidemiology
  • Alcoholic Intoxication / prevention & control
  • Alcoholic Intoxication / psychology
  • Automobile Driving / psychology*
  • Automobile Driving / statistics & numerical data
  • Ethanol / pharmacokinetics
  • Female
  • Health Education
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Minnesota / epidemiology
  • Risk Factors
  • Social Environment*
  • Students / psychology*
  • Students / statistics & numerical data

Substances

  • Ethanol