NCJ Number
120686
Journal
Health Education Quarterly Volume: 16 Issue: 3 Dated: (Fall 1989) Pages: 345-358
Date Published
1989
Length
14 pages
Annotation
The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFS) is a State-based system that monitors self-reported risk behaviors which include drinking and driving.
Abstract
This 1981-1983 study included respondents from 26 States. It showed that drinking and driving is a common event and concluded that young drivers and men are considerably overrepresented in populations of drivers who drink. Drinking and driving has been associated with other risk behaviors, including cigarette smoking and failure to wear seatbelts, which puts this group at even greater risk. Alcohol related crashes may be decreased by public health interventions, and legal interventions appear beneficial in decreasing alcohol related motor vehicle crashes. Education is needed to inform those drivers at greatest risk of the dangers of alcohol to develop a new social norm in which drinking and driving is no longer considered a socially-acceptable practice. 4 figures, 5 tables, 22 references.