|*Traffic Tech*
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**NATIONAL SURVEY OF DRINKING AND DRIVING DOCUMENTS ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIORS IN 1997**

Since 1991, the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) has conducted a telephone
survey every two years to measure the status of
attitudes, knowledge, and behavior of the general
driving age public about drinking and driving.  These
surveys measure various topics including the reported
frequency of drinking and driving, prevention and
intervention, riding with impaired drivers, designated
drivers, perceptions of penalties and enforcement,
knowledge of BAC levels, and alcohol-impaired
crashes. (See *Traffic Techs* 89 and 135).

The 1997 survey interviewed a nationally
representative sample of 4,010 persons aged 16 or
older in the United States between October 12 and
December 12, 1997.  The proportion of the population
who reported driving within two hours of drinking in
the past year declined from 28 percent in 1991, to 24
percent in 1993 and 1995, and remains constant at 24
percent in 1997.  The proportion of people who put
themselves at risk by riding with a potentially impaired
driver declined between 1993 and 1995, and in 1997,
remains near the 1995 level of 11 percent.  The driving
age public sees drinking and driving as a major threat
to their personal safety (79 percent) and 86 percent feel
it is very important to do something to reduce the
problem.

The perceptions that current laws and penalties for
reducing drinking and driving are very effective has
held steady since 1993 at 11 percent, while the
proportion saying they are somewhat effective has
increased from 48 percent in 1993 to 53 percent in
1997.  Support for increased use of sobriety check
points increased slightly since 1993 from 64 to 68
percent in 1997.  More persons between the ages of 16
and 64 are aware of BAC levels than in 1995 (84
percent, up from 79 percent in 1995), but, less than
one-third correctly know the BAC limit in their state. 
This is an improvement -- 29 percent now, up from 20
percent in 1995.  Almost six in ten (56 percent) who
are aware of BAC levels support a BAC of .08 or
stricter for their state, with 80 percent of those in
current .08 states supporting this limit.



**Drinking and Driving Behavior**

Males are almost three times as likely as females (36
vs 13 percent) to have driven within 2 hours of
drinking.  Adults aged 21 to 29 are the most likely to
be drinking drivers.  On average, they consume 2.5
drinks before driving, and do so over a four hour
period.  Drinking drivers drive within about 46
minutes after consuming their last drink.

**Riding with Drinking Drivers**

One in ten (10 percent) has ridden with a driver they
thought may have consumed too much alcohol to drive
safely.  This rises to 14 percent among those aged 21
to 29, and 23 percent for those age 16-20.   Six in ten
riders decided that their drivers were unsafe *before*
they were riding in the vehicle.

**Designated Drivers**

About 40 percent of the drivers who consume
alcoholic beverages report at least one occasion where
they refrained from driving when they thought they
may have been impaired.  Most rode with another
driver instead.  One-third have ridden with a
designated driver in the past year, with those under
age 30 about twice as likely to have done so.  Three
in ten drivers have acted as a designated driver in the
past year.  Designated drivers reported to have
consumed less than one half of one alcoholic drink, on
average, before driving.

**Estimated Total Yearly Drinking Driving Trips**

Drinking drivers in their 20's, while the most likely to
report any drinking driving trips, account for only
about one in five of all drinking driving trips.  About
four in ten of all past year drinking driving trips were
made by those aged 30 to 45.  Using the past 30 day
measure, the total number of drinking driving trips



was calculated for each respondent, and expanded to
the population at large.  Overall, past year drinking
drivers made an estimated 811 million to 1.1 billion
drinking driving trips in the past year, with males
making about 90 percent of the total.  Problem
drinkers are estimated to account for 283 to 479
million drinking driving trips in 1997, or about 40
percent of all trips.  The next chart shows the average
number of trips per month by age.



**HOW TO ORDER**

For a copy of ***National Survey of Drinking and
Driving Attitudes and Behavior, 1997***, prepared by
the Gallup Organization, write to the Office of
Research and Traffic Records, NHTSA, NTS-31, 400
Seventh Street, S.W., Washington, DC  20590, or
send a fax to (202) 366-7096.  Paul J. Tremont
Ph.D., was the contract manager for this project,
email *[email protected]*

U.S. Department
of Transportation**National Highway****Traffic Safety****Administration**
400 Seventh Street, S.W. NTS-31
Washington, DC  20590

**Traffic Tech** is a publication to disseminate
information about traffic safety programs,
including evaluations, innovative programs,
and new publications.  Feel free to copy it as you wish.
If you would like to receive a copy contact:
Linda Cosgrove, Ph.D., Editor, Evaluation Staff
Traffic Safety Programs
(202) 366-2759, fax (202) 366-7096E-MAIL:   [email protected]