An important question regarding the efficacy of alternative transportation in preventing DWI and Riding with Intoxicated Drivers (RID) is whether at-risk drivers actually use such risk reduction strategies. Previous research by the current authors showed that users of designated drivers (DDs) and free safe (taxi) rides (SRs), and those who serves as DDs for their drinking companies, tend to be heavy drinkers, plus they report higher levels of DWI and RID than other drinkers. In a related study, relative to moderate and light/infrequent drinkers, heavy drinkers also reported more DWI and RID plus more or an equivalent amount of behaviour to avoid DWI and RID. The current study examines this issue further in a sample of 364 barroom drinkers. Heavy drinkers were more likely than other drinkers to report DWI, and as likely as moderate drinkers and more likely than light/infrequent drinkers to report RID. Heavy drinkers also reported more DWI occasions than light/infrequent drinkers, as much DWI as moderate drinkers, and more RID than moderate or light/infrequent drinkers. Heavy drinkers were more likely than any other drinkers to have used SRs, and were as likely to report DD use and other behaviours to avoid DWI and RID as moderate drinkers and more likely than light/infrequent drinkers. Although heavy drinkers, they reported using an array of behaviours to avoid DWI much more often than any other drinkers. They also use alternatives to RID as often as moderate and more often than light/infrequent drinkers. Since heavy drinkers drink to intoxication outside of the home more often than other drinkers, the authors examined the proportion of DWI occasions relative to the number of occasions where respondents used alternatives to avoid DWI. Heavy drinkers reported an equivalent proportion of DWI relative to avoidance behaviours (.30) as did moderate (.28) or light/infrequent (0.28) drinkers. In summary, since heavy drinkers, who are highly overrepresented in DWI and RID behaviour, are also as or more likely than are other drinkers to engage in behaviours to avoid DWI and RID and do so more often, future research would benefit from examining why these at-risk drinkers engage in DWI and RID on some occasions but not others. Future prevention efforts may also benefit from reinforcing safe choices, and removing barriers to making safe choices. (Author/publisher)
Abstract