This section considers actions people can take to reduce drinking and driving trips for themselves and others. Drinking-driving trips can be reduced through several methods, including prevention actions before an occasion that averts planned drivers from drinking alcoholic beverages at the event, and prevention actions to avert planned drinkers from driving. Such trips can also be reduced through the intervention actions by those who suspect that another person has already consumed too much alcohol to drive safely and halting the unsafe driving behavior.

Specifically, this section covers the following topics:

Different strategies are open to drivers who drink to avoid drinking and driving situations. They can avoid attending an event altogether, decide to go to the event but not drink, make alternate transportation arrangements ahead of time to avoid driving, or go to an event and drink but decide not to drive afterwards.

The most common proactive personal strategy to avoid drinking and driving is to attend a planned event where alcohol was present but not drink at the event. Two of three drivers who drink used this method at least once in the past year. [Figure 11-A]

Another common proactive strategy used by more than one-third of drivers who drink is to make alternate travel arrangements ahead of time to avoid drinking and driving after the event. [Figure 11-B]

The least used proactive prevention strategy is to avoid attending an event altogether because the person did not want to drive after drinking. One in four drivers who drink cites use of this strategy in the past year. [Figure 11-C]

A common reactive prevention practice is to attend an event, consume alcohol and then decide not to drive afterwards. Four in ten drivers who drink take this strategy. [Figure 11-D]

There are few substantial differences in use of strategies to avoid drinking and driving trips between males and females. Males are slightly more likely to report avoiding an event altogether (27% compared to 21% of women) and more likely to drive to an event, and to drink and then decide to not drive afterward (47% compared to 36%).

Non-Hispanic Whites are least likely to say they have avoided an event altogether [Figure 11-C], while non-Hispanic Blacks are least likely to arrange ahead of time for alternate transportation to an event [Figure 11-B]. Those of Asian, American Indian and other racial groups are more likely to say they have avoided an event or have arranged not to drive than is true of those of White, Black or Hispanic descent. [Figures 11-B -C]

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More than four in ten past-year drinker-drivers have avoided driving a motor vehicle at least once because they felt they might have drunk too much to drive safely. This includes 46% of males and 37% of females. Non-Hispanic White males and Hispanic males who drink are more likely than other males to say they have avoided driving. [Figure 12-A]

Six in ten of those who avoided driving after drinking too much, did so by riding with another driver. About 12% stayed the night to avoid driving after drinking, while one in ten took an alternate mode of transportation home. [Figure 12-B]. Non-Hispanic Blacks are much less likely to ride home with another driver after having consumed too much to drive safely themselves. These drinker-drivers are more likely to stay overnight than is true of their counterparts. [Figure 12-B]

Young drinker-drivers are most likely to stay overnight to avoid driving after they have consumed too much alcohol. The propensity to stay the night declines with age, but continues to be much higher among non-Hispanics Blacks at all age categories. [Figure 12-C]

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About four in ten of those ages 16 to 64 have hosted a social event in the past year at which they served alcohol. Non-Hispanic Whites are much more likely to have hosted such a social event than those of other racial groups (45% compared to about 27% of other groups). [Figure 13-A]

About three-quarters of those who served alcohol at a social event said they took some action to prevent guests from driving home impaired. Preventive actions were more likely to be taken by females and by younger hosts. The pattern of taking actions declining with age follows the pattern of declining concern about guests drinking and driving by age.

Having guests who may have been too impaired to drive safely spend the night is the most cited preventive action taken by hosts, with one-third of all hosts reporting this action. Two in ten hosts had someone else take the potentially impaired guest home, while about one in five hosts served less alcohol at their event or limited serving hours. More than one in ten reported they served food to help avert potential drinking-driving problems with guests. [Figure 13-B]

Spending the night at the host’s home is much more common among non-Hispanic Blacks than other racial groups, with half of these hosts saying they have had impaired guests spend the night rather than drive home. These hosts are less likely than other hosts to limit serving hours or serve less alcohol to their guests than non-Hispanic White hosts or hosts of other racial backgrounds. [Figure 13-C]

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One-third of all persons age 16 to 64 has ridden with a designated driver in the previous year. Riding with a designated driver is slightly more common among males than females, and is least prevalent among those of Asian descent. [Figure 14-A]. The average male age 16 to 64 has ridden with a designated driver 5.9 times in the past year, while females report an average of about 4.4 past-year trips. Asian and Hispanic males are about three times as likely as others are to ride with a designated driver. [Figure 14-B]

Four of ten drivers have acted as the designated driver for others in the past year. Those of Asian descent are least likely to have been a designated driver. [Figure 14-C]

Past-year passengers of designated drivers report that they averaged a little more than one-half of a drink before driving, while those who were designated drivers themselves report having consumed about one-third of an alcoholic drink on average before driving. Non-Hispanic Whites report about half the alcohol consumption by their designated drivers as is true of other racial groups. [Figure 14-D]

The actual experience with designated drivers closely matches the public perception of the number of allowable drinks for a designated driver. Two-thirds feel that a designated driver should be allowed less than one drink. An additional 16% feel that one drink is acceptable for a designated driver. Asian drivers are slightly more likely to report that one or more drinks is acceptable for a designated driver to have than is true of other drivers. [Figure 14-E]

FIGURE 14: DESIGNATED DRIVERS

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Overall about 94% of those age 16 to 64 strongly agree that they should prevent someone they know from driving when they see they have had too much to drink. This indicates a high prevalence of personal responsibility to intervene to reduce impaired-driving. Persons of Asian or American Indian/Eskimo descent are much less likely to feel strongly that they should intervene with someone they feel has drank too much to drive safely. Fewer than nine of ten (87%) of those age 16 to 64 feel this way as compared to 95% of other racial/ethnic groups. [Figure 15-A]

About three in ten persons age 16 to 64 have been in a situation of being with a friend who had too much to drink to drive safely. These people report an average of just over two such experiences, with men reporting a greater number of experiences than women do. Males of American Indian/Eskimo descent (4.8 times) report the greatest number of experiences with this situation. [Figure 15-B]

Nine of ten of those who strongly agree that they should try to prevent a friend from driving impaired actually took such prevention when faced with a potentially impaired friend. Those of American Indian/Eskimo descent are more likely to have attempted intervention (93%). [Figure 15-C]

Despite a high propensity to attempt intervention, those of American Indian/Eskimo background report the least success in preventing an impaired acquaintance from driving (28% report the person drove anyway compared to 17% of other race/ethnic groups). [Figure 15-D]

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