Drinking and driving among adults in the United States: Results from the 2012–2013 national epidemiologic survey on alcohol and related conditions-III

• Published in: Accident analysis and prevention 2019-04, Vol.125, p.49-55
• Main Authors: Fan, Amy Z., Grant, Bridget F., Ruan, W. June, Huang, Boji, Chou, S. Patricia
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Alcohol Drinking; Automobile Driving; Drinking and driving; Driver-based alcohol-impaired driving; Driving Under the Influence - statistics & numerical data; Epidemiology; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; National survey; Passenger-based drinking and driving practices; Prevalence; Socioeconomic Factors; Surveys and Questionnaires; United States - epidemiology; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0001-4575; 1879-2057; 1879-2057
• DOI: 10.1016/j.aap.2019.01.016

•Men had greater rates of driver-based and passenger-based alcohol-impaired driving (A-ID) than women.•Rates of driver-based and passenger-based A-ID practices were greater among those 18–29 and 35–44 years old.•Rates of driver-based and passenger-based A-ID were greater among Whites/Blacks/Native Americans and the rate of driver-based A-ID was greater among those with higher education/income.•Driving under the influence of alcohol and passenger-based A-ID remains a public health problem in the US.•There is a need for monitoring of A-ID practices and the development of targeted prevention/intervention programs. Despite the seriousness of alcohol-impaired driving (A-ID) very few national surveys on reported A-ID have been conducted since the early 2000s. This study examined 12-month prevalences of driver-based A-ID and passenger-based alcohol-related practices in a large representative sample of the U.S. population. Twelve-month prevalences of drinking while driving and driving after drinking too much were 5.7% and 3.9%, respectively. Corresponding prevalences of having an accident while intoxicated and having an accident with an injury while intoxicated were 0.6% and 0.2%, respectively. Twelve-month prevalences of riding as a passenger with a drinking driver and riding as a passenger while drinking were 7.0% and 10.7%, respectively. In general, sociodemographic characteristics of individuals more vulnerable to all of these A-ID practices were similar: men, Whites, Blacks and Native Americans, younger and middle-aged adults, upper socioeconomic status, being never or previously married, and residing in the Midwest. Results of this study underscore the importance of assessing driver-based A-ID and passenger-based alcohol-related practices and the need to target prevention and intervention programs to reduce these practices among those subgroups of the U.S. population most vulnerable to them.