Alcoholic Beverage Preferences of Drinking Driving Violators

• NCJ Number: 102968
• Journal: Journal of Studies on Alcohol Volume: 46 Issue: 3 Dated: (1985) Pages: 232-239
• Author(s): D E Berger; J R Snortum
• Date Published: 1985
• Length: 8 pages
• Grant Number(s): 82-IJ-CX-0059
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Survey; Research (Applied/Empirical)

Annotation

Relationships between the preferred type of alcoholic beverage and various drinking-driving behaviors and attitudes were examined in a representative sample of 1,000 licensed U.S. drivers interviewed in a national telephone survey.

Abstract

Substantial differences were found between subjects who preferred beer and those who preferred wine or distilled spirits. Those who preferred beer typically drank to higher levels of intoxication, were more likely to drive after drinking, and tended to consider driving while intoxicated to be less serious. With few exceptions, these findings were true regardless of sex, age, education, income, and marital status. These data contradict the popular perception of beer as a relatively harmless drink of moderation, and challenge policies of special concessions for the legal purchasing age and advertising of beer. (Publisher abstract)