Differentiating "bad drivers" with and without a DWI.

OBJECTIVE: Risk factors for driving while intoxicated (DWI) are still largely unknown. The aim of this study was to determine the risk factors, other than multiple vehicle-related violations, that identify a group of bad drivers at risk of subsequent DWI violations. METHOD: A retrospective cohort study was conducted of drivers with multiple vehicle-related violations who completed a questionnaire on driving and personal characteristics (N = 253). RESULTS: Thirty-six variables were found associated with a 1.8- to 6.3-fold increased risk of subsequent DWI in the following categories: driving behavior, drinking behavior, history of physical trauma, alcohol-related expectancies and family history. CONCLUSIONS: A screening system could be incorporated in DWI prevention programs to target high-risk groups.

Use of behavioral risk factor surveys to predict alcohol-related motor vehicle events.

The relationship between acute alcohol intoxication and increased risk of traffic violations, crashes, and injuries is well known. We designed this study to investigate the usefulness of behavioral risk factor surveys (BRFSs) in identifying drivers at risk for subsequent motor vehicle violations and crashes. We carried out a retrospective cohort study in a random sample of members of a health maintenance organization, who were followed for five years after ascertainment of alcohol use. Reported problem drinking behavior increased the risk of motor vehicle violations or crashes for women drivers and older drivers (older than 65 years of age) of both sexes. Women "binge drinkers" had an age-adjusted relative risk (RR) for violations of 1.7 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.1, 2.8) and an age-adjusted RR for crashes of 1.9 (95% CI = 1.1, 3.2). Older drivers reporting drinking and driving or multiple drinking problems had an increased risk of motor vehicle crashes (sex-adjusted RR = 2.7; 95% CI = 1.2, 5.8, and 3.0; 95% CI = 1.1, 8.4). A CAGE score of 2 or more identified older drivers at increased risk for both violations and crashes. We found no increased risk for male drivers under 65 years of age for any of the problem drinking behaviors. We conclude that BRFSs in a general population can help identify high-risk drivers among women and drivers older than 65 years of age.

Bad drivers: identification of a target group for alcohol-related prevention and early intervention.

Individuals arrested for driving while intoxicated (DWI) have been targeted for preventive intervention of alcohol-related problems. However, high rates of diagnosed alcoholism among DWI arrestees suggest a need to identify individuals at risk earlier in the developmental process. The present study investigates one such group, namely male "bad drivers" with a history of multiple nonalcohol-related driving convictions. Over 11% of a sample of 254 men identified as bad drivers during an index year received an initial DWI arrest over a subsequent 3-year follow-up period. This was over five times greater than the rate of initial DWI arrest among a representative sample of men from the general driving population over the same time period. The same high rate of subsequent DWI arrest among drivers having four or more driving offenses within the index year was replicated in a 1% probability sample of over 39,000 drivers from the general driving population. Those individuals from the original group of 254 bad drivers who received an initial DWI had significantly higher levels of drinking at the time of their original identification as bad drivers than did those who did not receive a DWI. The results were discussed in terms of early identification and preventive interventions within the population of bad drivers.

Intoxicated and bad drivers: subgroups within the same population of high-risk men drivers.

Three groups of men drivers in the state of Washington were compared: those who had been arrested for driving while intoxicated (DWI group, N = 172), those who had received multiple nonalcohol-related violations or who had been involved in traffic accidents (high-risk drivers, or HRD group, N = 193) and a representative random sample of the general driving population of men in the state (GDP group, N = 154). Subjects completed a questionnaire assessing demographic, drinking, driving attitude, personality and hostility measures. The HRD and DWI groups were generally more deviant than the GDP subjects. The latter individuals were demographically more stable, had lower levels of drinking behavior and were more emotionally stable, with lower levels of depression, sensation seeking, external perception of control, and both overt and covert hostility. The GDP group also had lower levels of driving-related hostility. The HRD and DWI groups did not suffer significantly from each other on any of the measures of personality function or hostility. These two groups did differ on aspects of drinking behavior, driving-related attitudes and demographic characteristics. The noted similarities between the DWI and HRD groups are consistent with the contention that these two groups may represent subtypes within a larger population of high-risk drivers.

Drinking behavior, personality factors and high-risk driving. A review and theoretical formulation.

Literature concerned with five broad categories of psychosocial variables contributing to the risk of traffic accidents is reviewed: (1) demographic characteristics, (2) excessive alcohol use, (3) personality traits, (4) acute states of emotional distress and (5) driving-related attitudes. A theoretical cognitive-behavioral model is presented in an attempt to integrate the results concerning the influence of these different factors.

The effectiveness of deferred prosecution for driving while intoxicated.

Offenders of driving while intoxicated (DWI) who received deferred prosecution and concomitant alcoholism treatment had significantly more postdeferral alcohol-related traffic violations than did a control group of DWI offenders who received normal judicial sanctions.