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Alcohol, Autos, And College A High Risk Combo

have been drunk. Past month drinking and driving by high school seniors is estimated to be about 15%. This investigation looked at changes in traffic risk behavior as students progressed through their college years.

National studies show that 25% of college students have driven while intoxicated in the past month. Even more admit to driving after drinking some alcohol and/or riding with an intoxicated driver. That means over two million college students engage in such behavior.  To determine whether these behaviors changed over time, 1,253 first year students at a large mid-Atlantic university were interviewed annually for 4 years. Age-related changes in prevalence and frequency of driving while intoxicated (DWI), driving after drinking (DAD), and riding with an intoxicated driver (RWID) were evaluated.

This study found that drinking frequency increased significantly every year from age 19-22.  All three risky driving behaviors increased with age, notably at age 21, the legal drinking age.  At age 19, 17% of students drove while intoxicated, 42% drove after some drinking, and 38% rode with an intoxicated driver. At age 21, 25% of the 21 year olds drove while intoxicated sometime during the past year, 63% said they had driven after drinking some alcohol, and 49% said they had ridden with an intoxicated driver. Overall, males were found to be more likely to engage in these behaviors than females. Further analysis revealed that, while drinking frequency increased every year, the frequency of drunkenness was stable for females but increased for males.

The researchers concluded that alcohol-related traffic risk behaviors are quite common among college students and take a notable upturn at the age of 21. They pointed to a need for aggressive law enforcement and early identification of individuals at high risk and noted that sobriety checkpoints have proven to be effective deterrents to drinking and driving by elevating the perceived risk of arrest.

(Beck, K, Kasperski, S, Caldeira, K, Vincent, K, O’Grady, K, Arria, A, Trends in alcohol-related traffic risk behaviors among college students. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, Early View DOI: 10.1111/j.1530-0277.2010.01232.x

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