The Epidemiology of Drinking and Driving: Results from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System,1986

Abstract

Alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes result in thousands of deaths and serious injuries each year. For effective intervention in this problem, it is important to under stand the epidemiology of "drinking and driving." To study this behavior, we analyzed the self-reports of 34,395 respondents in the 26 states conducting behavioral risk factor surveillance during 1986. An estimated 4.1% of the survey population and 7.2% of drinkers reported drinking and driving at least once in the month before the survey. In general, the prevalence of drinking and driving was highest among men, young adults, and divorced or separated persons. States with the highest prevalence of drink ing and driving tended to cluster in the north-central region of the United States. In 15 states conducting surveillance from 1984 to 1986, the overall prevalence of drinking and driving changed little during this period. However, among persons less than 25- years old, the prevalence decreased. Efforts to deter drinking and driving are likely to reduce the number of motor vehicle crashes and should include both legal sanctions and greater public education about the dangers of this behavior.