Young male drinkers and impaired driving intervention: Results of a U.S. telephone survey

The present study examines the role of interveners in the driving behavior of a group of drivers at higher risk for involvement in a fatal, alcohol-related motor vehicle accident than the general population, based on their demographic characteristics. The sample consisted of men, aged 21–34 years, living in areas where alcohol-involved motor vehicle fatalities most commonly occur. More than one-half (55%) of these men reported having been the target of an intervention to prevent them from drinking and driving. The variables most strongly associated with having been the target of an intervention were: involvement in an accident after drinking; frequency of driving after drinking too much to drive safely; binge drinking; reporting that it takes ten or more drinks to feel drunk. Age, total alcohol consumption and the relationship between the target and the intervener predicted intervention success. Persons who have close relationships with drinking drivers, particularly wives/girlfriends, are most likely to be successful in preventing these men from drinking and driving. To the extent they can be encouraged to safely intervene, wives/girlfriends and close friends may be potential targets for messages promoting informal social control of drinking and driving.