How to change young drivers attitudes and behaviour with respect to drivingwhile-intoxicated

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1 T2007 Seattle, Washington How to change young drivers attitudes and behaviour with respect to drivingwhile-intoxicated K.A. Brookhuis*¹², D. de Waard¹², F.J.J.M. Steyvers¹, H. Bijsterveld³ Groningen University¹, Grote Kruisstraat 2/1, 9712TS Groningen, Netherlands Delft University of Technology², Jaffalaan 5, 2628 BX Delft, Netherlands VNN, Addiction Care Centre³, Pelikaanstraat 2, 9404 CN Assen, Netherlands Abstract A considerable amount of all traffic accidents is to be attributed to driving under the influence alcohol. Particularly the group of year old are involved in serious traffic accidents where alcohol turns out to be a major factor. In combination with alcohol use, this age group shows about three times as many traffic fatalities as all other categories of traffic participants. The project Alcoholvrij op weg (Alcohol-free on the road) aims to enhance the conscious knowledge of young people by letting them experience the effect alcohol has on driving abilities. Young drivers were invited to a closed circuit and allowed to drive under influence, guided and guarded by driving instructors. A realistic perception of the effects of alcohol on driving abilities may contribute to the understanding and may influence the attitude that is needed to make the conscious decision not to drive under the influence of alcohol. After ten years of running, the project is evaluated to its effectiveness with respect to attitudes of the participants and the actual behaviour in the years after the alcohol experience test they attended, i.e. actual driving under influence. A questionnaire was sent to a part of the approximately 1100 participants until now, in parallel with a similar control group, to compare attitudes and actual behaviour. In addition, the Public Prosecutor checked their files for occurrence of driving under the influence incidents of participants of both groups. The group that participated in the alcohol project appears more conscious about the dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol than the control group, and behaves accordingly. Less project participants than control group participants were present in the Public Prosecutor files. The alcohol driving experience on a closed circuit turns out to be an effective and successful remedy against driving under the influence of alcohol and should be acknowledged as such. Keywords: driving, alcohol, attitude, behaviour Introduction In a considerable amount of all traffic accidents alcohol is a prevalent factor (Borkenstein et al., 1974). In an alcohol prevalence project in the Netherlands the percentage of drivers caught with an illegal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was about 2% in a random stop part of this study, while 17% of hospitalized drivers were above the legal limit. Odds of driving-while-intoxicated against sober driving ran from about 3 up at 0.8 BAC to more than 80 at alcohol levels over 1.3 (Mathijssen, 2005). Particularly the group of year old is involved in serious traffic accidents where alcohol turned out to be a major factor. In combination with alcohol use, this age group shows about 3 times as many traffic fatalities as all other categories of traffic participants in the same condition (Mathijssen, 2005).

2 One reason for this untidy phenomenon may be that young people s ideas about actual effects of drink-driving are somewhat negligent, to put it mildly. Young and inexperienced drivers are known to overestimate their driving skills to a large extent and underestimate the risks involved in driving (Pettergregersen & Bjurulf, 1995). According to the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), actual behaviour stems from planned behaviour, which in turn is the resultant of a person s attitude, perceived behavioural control and normative beliefs, i.e. opinions of peers etc. (Ajzen, 1985, 1988). Therefore, to improve the statistics of this vulnerable age group of year old, it seems promising to improve their behaviour through the triage attitude, perception and beliefs. The project Alcohol-free on the road In co-operation with the University of Groningen, VNN (the Addiction Care Centre), a local municipality (Emmen, a provincial town in the Netherlands) and the Province of Drenthe together, initiated the project Alcoholvrij op weg (Alcohol-free on the road), with the aim to enhance the (conscious) knowledge of young people about the effects of drink-driving, i.e. that even relatively low amounts of alcohol affect driving abilities, by actually experiencing these effects (see Winters, 2003). Effectuation of this state of mind occurs through showing that contrary to the optimistic view on vehicle control, which is normal for the year old (with not yet matured frontal lobe), performance is readily deteriorated by alcohol. Young drivers were invited within half a year after licensing, in small groups (peers) to a closed circuit and allowed to drive while being sober and under influence, guided and guarded by driving instructors. A realistic experience with and perception of the effects of alcohol use on driving abilities may contribute to the understanding and the attitude that is needed to make the conscious decision not to drive under the influence of alcohol. The group effect may enhance the necessary attitude towards drink-driving, leading to explicitly planning not to drive while intoxicated (c.f. Brookhuis, 2002). Method The experience consisted of a series of tests on driving performance in a closed circuit with different parts. Upon arrival, the participants were first extensively educated with respect to the effects of alcohol on performance and traffic, subsequently instructed about the whole set-up of the experience, and tested to their reaction-time in a specially developed computer test. Next, the participants were tested individually to their performance on the test track, in the same vehicle that was used during their pre-license driving lessons. The driving tests concerned several skills, such as driving through narrow lanes, weaving, responding to traffic lights, parking skill, skidding on a wet road, etc. (see also Louwerens et al., 1996). The driving instructor that accompanied each of the participants judged the different units by grading the performance in the sober condition and subsequently in the alcohol condition. During the break between sober and alcohol condition, subjects were given drinks, either orange juice with wodka, or beer, to their choice, in an attempt to attain a BAC of 0.8, as tested with a breathalyzer. This attempt was not always successful, however, most participants ended with a BAC of between 0.5 and 0.8. After the tests, in a group meeting, slowly sobering, the participants were handed their results,

3 which inevitably showed deteriorations in one or more aspects of driving performance, and/or, at the computer reaction time test. The group meeting in the end was explicitly meant to serve as a consciousness-raising meeting, where all participants were motivated in a discussion to realise and admit the negative effects that alcohol had on their skills. After ten years of running, the project (Alcohol-free on the road) is evaluated to its effectiveness with respect to attitudes of the participants and the actual behaviour in the years after the alcohol effect experience in the course they once attended (actually driving under influence). A questionnaire was sent to a part of the approximately 1100 participants in the project in ten years so far, in common with a comparable control group, to compare attitudes and actual behaviour. The control group consisted of young people, derived from the files of four municipalities lying in the opposite side in the Province of Drenthe as where the project is running. In total 233 project participants returned the questionnaire, a response percentage of 56%, whereas in total 347 control group invitees returned the questionnaire, a response percentage of 77%. In addition, the Public Prosecutor checked their files for occurrence of alcohol in traffic of both groups.

4 Results The test results of the participants in the alcohol experience tests on the closed circuit are displayed in Table 1. All participants first performed all tests in the sober condition, subsequently under the influence of, about 0.7 BAC. Variable performance parking Sober condition Alcohol condition Reaction Time test 395 (±80) ms 427 (±102) ms* Instructor grade general 6,55 4,05* Instructor grade weaving 6,30 3,72* Number of pylones hit while Number of times traffic light 1,02 1,71* 0,12 0,04 able 1: T Average scores per conditie on the variables of the tests (* = significan t to p<0.05) ignored Most of the Number of times traffic light 0,33 0,18 effects in the too late alcohol experienc e test were significant, with a clear deteriorating effect of alcohol. Big exception was the traffic light, where the participants, being aware of its presence after the sober ride, explicitly and successfully prepared for compliance, succesfully. The results of the questionnaire, as returned by the alcohol experience group and the control group, are displayed in Table 2.

5 Participants alcohol experience group Control group Agree with driving while intoxicated is not good Yes: 95.8% Yes: 97.7% Do you have friends who occasionally drive while intoxicated? Yes: 58,8% Yes: 64,8% Will you tell these friends that they should not drive under influence? female: 95 %) Yes: 88,7% (male: 83 %, Yes: 72,8%* (male: 64 %, female: 79 %) Will you ride in a car, driven by somebody under influence? female: 6 %) Yes: 9,5% (male: 15 %, female: 6 %) yes: 10,1% (male: 16 %, Table 2: Opinions, self-reported behaviour and attitudes of the respondents (* = significant to p<0.05) Both groups almost unanimously agreed that driving under the influence of too much alcohol is not good. The groups did not differ significantly on having friends that drive while intoxicated, and they (some of them at least) admit that they will sometimes ride with somebody under influence. The only significant effect is that the group with the alcohol test experience says that they will tell their friends not to driver under influence, as compared to the control group. Finally, the Public Prosecutor has checked the files for occurrence of traffic participation under the influence of too much alcohol (0.5 in the Netherlands). The results of the alcohol data are given in Table 3.

6 Participants alcohol experience group Control group Convicted for driving under the influence (BAC > 0.05) Male: 0,7 % Female: 0,0 % Male: 4,2 % Female: 0,0 % Table 3: Report by the Public Prosecutor of driving under the influence of alcohol Clearly, females in this age group, in this part of the Netherlands, differed from males in that they were never caught for driving while intoxicated. Male participants of the alcohol experience test group complied to the law with respect to driving under the influence of alcohol much better than the controlgroup. Discussion and conclusion Young males show more hazardous behaviour than females in general, which is confirmed in the data of the control group (4.2 % with a BAC > 0.5 ). The data for males in the control group mirrors the normal average data of the Province of Drenthe, where all participants were recruted. The most striking effect of the project Alcohol free on the road was the almost absence of young males in these data after they had done the alcohol experience test on the closed circuit. The group that participated in the alcohol project appears more conscious about the dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol than the control group, and behaves accordingly. The project participants were much less present in the Public Prosecutor files. The alcohol driving experience test on a closed circuit turns out to be an effective and successful remedy against driving under the influence of alcohol in this vulnerable age group which should be widely acknowledged as such. References Ajzen, I. (1985). From intentions to actions: a theory of planned behavior. In: J. Kuhl & J. Beckman (Eds.). Action control: from cognition to behavior (pp ). Berlin: Springer-Verslag. Ajzen, I. (1988). Attitudes, personalitiy and behavior. Milton Keynes: University Press. Borkenstein, R.F. et. al. (1974). The role of the drinking driver in traffic accidents (the Grand Rapids Study). Second edition. Blutalkohol, 11, Supp. 1.

7 Brookhuis, K.A. (2002). Effecten van het gebruik van alcohol, drugs en psychoactieve geneesmiddelen op het functioneren van de mens en de gevolgen daarvan voor het verkeersgedrag. Leidschendam, Nederland: Stichting Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek Verkeersveiligheid. Louwerens, J.W., Gloerich, A.B.M., De Vries, G., Brookhuis, K.A., & O'Hanlon, J.F. (1987). The relationship between drivers' blood alcohol concentration (BAC) and actual driving performance during high speed travel. In: Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety - T86, P.C. Noordzij & R. Roszbach (Eds.), Amsterdam: Excerpta Medica. Mathijssen, M.P.M. (2005). The prevalence and relative risk of drink and drug driving in the Netherlands: a case-control study in the Tilburg police district. R SWOV, Leidschendam. Pettergregersen, N., & Bjijrulf, P. (1995). Young novice drivers:towards a model of their accident involvement. Amid. Analyses and Prevention, Vol 28, Winters, H. (2003). Alcoholvrij op weg? Onderzoek naar de effectiviteit van een voorlichtingsprogramma. Master thesis (University of Groningen).