In the summer of 1998 the Centre for Traffic Sciences in Wurzburg (IZVW) conducted a large field study investigating factors affecting driving under the influence of illegal drugs. Researchers interviewed 2,779 drivers visiting Bavarian discotheques (responder rate 90.2%). From this pool, drivers under the influence of illegal drugs as well as drunk and sober drivers were asked to participate in an extensive interview (n = 503, responder rate 60.6%). The analyses revealed that drunk driving (DUI) and driving under the influence of illegal drugs (DUID) share some of the same predictors: a high consumption of the respective substance, a permissive attitude towards driving while intoxicated as well as a permissive attitude within the social network. On the other hand, persons driving under the influence of illegal drugs (especially cannabis) consider their behaviour less damnable than persons driving under the influence of alcohol. Therefore, user drivers refrain from driving less often than drunk drivers. Moreover, for the former deterrence variables are less important, and the peer group seems to have less influence. Instead, their decision depends more on personality variables.
Abstract