Targeting persons who are at risk for driving under the influence: How do individual differences relate to drinking and driving behavior?

Motor vehicle accidents are a leading cause of death in the United States, with alcohol related accidents accounting for approximately 40% of all accidents (Subramanian, 2005). The present study focused on individual differences that may have a relationship with drinking and driving, with the ultimate goal of designing targeted anti-DUI interventions. A sample of 137 undergraduate psychology students and 17 persons who were mandated to treatment for driving under the influence were administered measures including the Sensation Seeking Scale Form V (Zuckerman, 1994), the Fear Survey Schedule III (Wolpe and Lang, 1964), and questions regarding drinking and driving behavior and risk perception. High sensation seeking was predictive of both a higher frequency of driving after drinking in the past year and a higher maximum number of drinks that someone had consumed prior to driving within the past year. Overall fearfulness was not predictive of frequency of driving after drinking, but was predictive of the largest number of drinks consumed before driving, with higher fearfulness ratings predicting lower consumption of drinks. Perception of risk was also predictive of the frequency of driving after drinking and the maximum number of drinks consumed before driving, with higher concern about risk being associated with less drinking and driving behavior. Future health interventions concerning drinking and driving may need to work to specifically target persons who are high in sensation seeking, low in fearfulness, and perceive driving after drinking to be a relatively low-risk behavior.