This project examined the involvement of 21-26 year-old Victorian drivers in drink-driving behaviour following concerns of their over-representation in alcohol-related, fatal and serious casualty crashes. Findings suggest that exposure partly explains the over-representation of male novices, but not that of females. Awareness and knowledge was high for all groups. Getting someone else to drive was a strategy commonly reported by novices and while one of their most successful strategies, it was also one of the most unsuccessful. Female novices' use was less successful than males', although generally their strategy use was more effective. It was found that limiting, counting or spacing drinks, a strategy more common among male novices, was less likely to be effective compared to avoiding the combination of alcohol and driving altogether. A perceived need/desire to get home was the most commonly reported reason for drink-driving, while fears (of crashes, injuries, licence loss, detection and arrest) were common reasons for not drink-driving. The findings suggest the transition from a zero to 0.05 BAC is difficult for some novices and requires education or interventions. (Author/publisher)
Abstract