Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol: The Who and the Why in Spanish Adults

Driving under the influence of alcohol is a very real risk that some people take for various reasons. According to the US Center for Disease Control (CDC), 30 people in the United States die every day from automobile crashes caused by a driver under the influence of alcohol, equating to one death every 51 seconds. In 2013, alcohol-related crashed

Photo By Dasprevailz (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Photo By Dasprevailz (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

accounted for 1/3 of the traffic deaths in the United States. In Spain in 2001, somewhere between 1/3 and ½ of traffic deaths were caused by someone under the influence of alcohol.

We are all very much aware that driving under the influence of alcohol impairs our ability to drive. Contrary to what some might jokingly say that driving drunk actually makes them better drivers, alcohol impairs virtually every function required for safe driving, including perception, motor skills, and attention/focus.

A new study published in the journal Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy, aimed to evaluate the perception Spanish drivers have on driving under the influence, and to determine how often Spaniards actually drive drunk. More specifically, the study researchers wanted to determine how often people drove drunk, why they drove drunk, whether or not they were aware of the risks and consequences of driving drunk, and their opinions on current punishments related to driving drunk.

Brief Methods

A telephone survey was conducted on a sample of Spanish adults that were representative of the general population of Spain. There were a total of 1100 drivers between the ages of 14 and 65 surveyed, 678 of them men and 422 of them women. The response rate for the survey was 98.5%, so basically everyone who was called participated.

Survey questions included: demographics information, driving habits, driving experience, and accident history. Questions related to whether or not a subject has driving under the influence, their perceived risks of such behavior, and opinions on current policies and punishments were also asked.

Results

  • 7% reported never drinking under the influence of alcohol, 15.5% almost never, 9.1% sometimes, 0.2% often, and 0.5% always.
  • For those that had driven under the influence, 24.5% of them said the behavior was unavoidable, having no other option for getting home or having had had some alcohol when out for dinner. 16.4% of them said that the behavior was intentional.
  • 7% of those that had reported driving under the influence believed that alcohol does not impair driving.
  • Photo By U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Bryan Reckard [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

    Photo By U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Bryan Reckard [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

    60% of respondents believed alcohol to be the highest risk factor for traffic accidents.
  • Women, respondents between the ages of 18 and 44, drivers who had never received a fine for DUI, drivers who never drove while drunk, and drivers who had never been in an accident had the highest perception of risk when it came to alcohol-caused traffic accidents as well as the highest perception of risk of punishment as a result of such behavior.
  • There were no significant associations between perceived risk and educational level, type of driver, driving frequency, and years of experience driving.
  • 5% of respondents cited not wanting to drink at all as reasons for not drinking and driving, 28.3% to avoid accidents, 10.4% to avoid sanctions or punishment, and 16.6% for other reasons related to traffic safety.
  • Respondents assumed the probability of being fined for driving under the influence as half of the number of times a person actually drives drunk.
  • On a scale of 1-10, respondents gave the need to punish driving under the influence severely as a 9.1.
  • College students were the least tolerant when it came to the need to punish someone for driving under the influence, while retirees were the most tolerant when it came to punishment.
  • 5% of respondents believed DUI should be subject to a fine, 70% stated it may lead to jail time, and 96.4% stated it should at least result in the suspension of someone’s driver’s license (either temporary or permanent).
  • For those who had received a fine for DUI, 75% believe the punishment was sufficient, while the other 25% believe it was excessive.
  • For those who had received a fine for DUI, 91.7% of them said they changed their behavior after the incident.

Conclusions

The results of this study indicate that the majority of Spaniards are well aware of the risks and consequences of driving while under the influence of alcohol, though there is still about a quarter of them who still do it for various reasons.

Not surprisingly, those with the highest perception of risk of the consequences of driving under the influence of alcohol were least likely to actually drive after consuming alcohol.

Photo By James Cridland from London, UK (Drinking and driving) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Photo By James Cridland from London, UK (Drinking and driving) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

On the other hand, those with the lowest perception of risk were the most likely group to drive after drinking.

The most cited reason for drinking while under the influence was because there was no other alternative to getting home after a meal or whatever the event was that resulted in the alcohol being consumed.

It should be noted that this study utilized self-reported data, which may or may not prove to be the most accurate.

The results indicate that most people are aware of the risks and consequences, so simple education-related strategies for reducing DUI occurrences are not enough. Perhaps for those individuals who believe there was no other alternative to getting home after drinking, programs where they can utilize free or discounted designated driver services would be beneficial and ultimately help reduce the number of alcohol-related traffic crashes and deaths.

In the United States, there are currently some programs that offer free rides to those who have been drinking so they can avoid driving themselves home, though these types of programs are not available everywhere nor is it widely known they even exist. Expanding these types of programs could prove to be beneficial in reducing the number of DUI incidences. Of course, there will likely be a small number of individuals who drive drunk intentionally and it’s very difficult if not impossible to reach them prior to an incident occurring, though since the number of people actually doing this (at least in Spain) is relatively low, the risk of being involved in an accident with those people remains relatively low.

It would be interesting to see how these results compare between Spaniards and other cultures like in the United States or elsewhere. In the meantime, adopting programs and scenarios that aren’t just education or knowledge based will likely be beneficial anywhere.

What do you all think of this study? Do you have any other policy or program suggestions to help reduce DUI incidents? Have you seen any of these programs in action (and do they work?)? Feel free to leave your comments below!

Source:

Alonso, F., Pastor, J.C., Montoro, L., and Esteban, C. 2015. Driving under the influence of alcohol: frequency, reasons, perceived risk and punishment. Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy 10:11 doi:10.1186/s13011-015-0007-4.