Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #111932

Steven Bloch, PhD, Auto Club of Southern California, 3333 Fairview Rd -- A131, Costa Mesa, CA 92626, 714 885-2313, Bloch.StevenA@aaa-calif.com, H. C. Shin, PhD, National Opinion Research Center, 55 East Monroe Street Suite 1865, Chicago, IL 60603, and Susan N. Labin-Rosensweig, PhD, Temple University, Institute for Survey Research, 4646 40th Street, Suite 320, Washington DC, DC 20016.

Research has widely documented that drinking and driving crashes, and traffic crashes in general, increase on various holidays and special occasions. There has been no research, however, comparing the various days to determine which result in the most drinking and driving (DUI) and, therefore, merit the greatest public concern, police attention and prevention activities. The importance of this research is considerable since many govern-men-t and private agencies offer DUI prevention efforts at some time during the year, none of it apparently based on systematic comparative research.

In this study, 14 major holidays and special occasions are compared for their levels of drinking and driving crashes. Data from California and Texas – the states with the highest number of DUI crashes – are analyzed, examining both the absolute number and proportion of crashes that are alcohol-related. Days are broken down into daytime and nighttime periods. Poisson log-linear and logistic regression models are employed to account for variability of crash patterns across the days of the week and months of the year.

Analysis of California data indicates that it is certain winter holidays (Christmas, New Year's), summer holidays (July 4th, Labor Day) and Super Bowl Sunday that experience the greatest increases in DUI. Occasions such as Halloween, St. Patrick's Day and Cinco de Mayo show no evidence of increases. If these patterns hold when Texas data are analyzed, they will demonstrate that, while some holidays are well provided with prevention efforts (Christmas, New Year's), others (Super Bowl Sunday, Labor Day) warrant far more attention.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, the participant/learner in this session will be able to

• Articulate a procedure for analyzing the holidays and special occasions of the year to establish those that are the most dangerous in terms of increased drinking and driving.
• Prioritize holidays and special occasions into those that have been well provided with drinking and driving prevention and enforcement efforts and those that warrant greater public attention.

Keywords: DUI, Injury Prevention

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.