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Please be aware that this content contains descriptions of violence that may be distressing to some viewers.This study provides information on the legal and social forces that influence change in control of alcohol-impaired driving.
The study compared attitudes, perceptions and behaviors concerning drinking and driving for California drivers in 1994 (n=608) to similar information collected from California drivers in 1983 and 1986 (n=291) through random-digit-dialing telephone interviews. Self-reported drinking-driving violations showed a substantial decline, paralleling the well-documented drop in alcohol-related traffic crashes during this time span. All age groups, men and women, both heavy drinkers and light drinkers, reported a large reduction in drinking before driving. Subjects also displayed: greater knowledge of drinking-driving laws and trends toward an increased expectation that violations would be followed by unpleasant consequences; heightened perceptions that friends and relatives were likely to disapprove of driving after drinking; more awareness of control of drinking by drivers at occasions where alcohol is served; and increase in the view that it is morally wrong to drive after heavy drinking. Tables, references