Reactions of teenagers and parents to a zero alcohol tolerance law

Transcription

1 Reactions of teenagers and parents to a zero alcohol tolerance law Dan R. M a y h ew ', H erb. M. S im p s o n 1, Susan A. F ergu so n 2 and Allan F. W illiam s2 1TIRF, 171 Nepean St., Ste. 200, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K2P 0B4 2 IIHS, 1005 N. Glebe Rd Arlington, VA USA IN T R O D U C T IO N Graduated licensing for young drivers is an increasingly popular means for controlling their excessive risk of collision (Mayhew and Simpson 1996). The system applies a series o f driving restrictions that are gradually relaxed as the young driver gains experience and becomes more mature. The system is quite new introduced for the first time in New Zealand in and, as yet, not very widespread, so there is relatively little information available on its operational success. Indeed, in Canada, graduated licensing was introduced just three years ago in two provinces Ontario and Nova Scotia. Although it is somewhat early to judge its impact on collisions, it is possible to determine how well the program is understood, its level o f acceptance and the extent of compliance with it. This was the purpose o f a major study by the present authors that examined the two-stage graduated licensing program implemented in the province of Nova Scotia in In this paper, we present findings from that study on one of the graduated licensing restrictions that deals with drinking-driving. In the Nova Scotia program, there is a restriction that prohibits drivers in both the learner and newly licensed driver stages from operating a vehicle if they have any detectable alcohol in their system i.e., they must have a zero blood alcohol concentration when they drive. This paper describes the reactions of teenagers as well as parents of teens to this zero tolerance law. M ETHOD Novice drivers in the graduated license program as well as the parents o f novice drivers in the program were interviewed to obtain information on such things as their knowledge about the law, attitudes toward it and compliance with it. Opinion questions used a 5-point Likert type scale ranging, for example, from strongly agree to strongly disagree

2 Telephone interviews were conducted in 1996 with 450 novice drivers aged 16 to 18 and with 500 parents who had children aged 16 to 18. The teens and parents interviewed were not from the same household because the sensitive nature o f some of the questions raised concerns that teens would be reluctant to answer honestly if they knew their parents were being interviewed as well. Of the 450 teenagers surveyed, 29 percent were in the first or learner stage of the graduated licensing program and 71 percent were in the second or newly licensed driver stage. Slightly over half (51 percent) were male and 49 percent were female. Thirty four percent were 16 years of age, 57 percent were 17, and 9 percent were 18. A comparison of the regional distribution of persons aged 16 to 18 in the province to the regional distribution o f completed interviews showed that the sample was representative. O f the 500 parents surveyed, 40 percent o f their sons/daughters were in the first stage o f the program and 60 percent were in the second stage. Seventy percent were female and 30 percent were male. Almost all the parents interviewed were married (86 percent), 10 percent were widowed, separated or divorced and only two percent were single/never married. R E SU L T S K nowledge about zero BAC tolerance Teenagers were asked if they could identify the restrictions that are placed on their driving. Less than a third (27%) o f those in the learner s stage knew that a zero BAC restriction is part of the system. Just over half (57%) of those in the second or newly licensed drivers stage of the graduated license program knew of it. By contrast, parents appear to be very well informed about the zero BAC requirement, with over 90 percent being aware of this restriction in both stages. It is, however, possible that to some extent this difference in the level of knowledge between parents and teens is an artifact of the way the questionnaire was constructed. For parents it used a recognition rather than a recall method in which the restriction was identified and parents were simply asked if they were aware of it. The approach was different with teens, who were asked to recall the restrictions (name them without prompting). Support for zero BAC tolerance. Even though a substantial proportion of teenagers, especially those on the first stage of the graduated licensing program, appear to be uninformed about the zero BAC restriction, they express a very high level of support for it. Ninety-nine percent o f teens in the first stage agree that learners should not be allowed to drink and drive (91 percent strongly agree and eight

3 percent agree somewhat). Support was also high among teens in the newly licensed driver stage (86 percent strongly agree and 10 percent agree somewhat with this provision). Parents are even more supportive of zero tolerance than are teenagers 100 percent of parents with teens in both stages agree with it. Com pliance with zero BAC tolerance All of the teenagers surveyed were below the legal minimum drinking age of 19. Even though drinking is illegal for them, they were quite forthcoming about their use of alcohol. Forty-five percent of teens in the learners stage admit to drinking alcoholic beverages but among those teens who drink, the reported level of compliance with the zero alcohol provision is extremely high only one teenager admitted to drinking and driving. The vast majority of parents also report that their sons/daughters do not drink and drive only two parents reported that their son/daughter has driven after drinking. More than half of the teenagers in the newly licensed stage (51 percent) admitted to drinking alcoholic beverages. However, only five of these drinkers (three percent) said they have driven after drinking alcohol and four of these drinking drivers reported doing so rarely. All the parents reported that their teens do not drink and drive. Although very few teenagers admit that they drive after drinking, most believe that their peers do, at least occasionally. Teens in the learner s stage estimate that 1/4 of their peers violate the zero BAC restriction; teens in the newly licensed driver stage estimate that about 1/3 of their peers violate this restriction. Although teens estimate the incidence of drinking and driving by their peers to be quite high, they also believe that their peers who violate the restriction do so infrequently. Only 18 percent of teens in the learner s stage believe that their peers drink and drive often; 38 percent believe they do so sometimes and almost half of teenagers (44 percent) believe their peers drink and drive rarely. Teenagers in the newly licensed driver stage believe that 23 percent of those who do violate the zero BAC restriction do so often and 58 percent do so sometimes. T actics to avoid drinking and driving Teenagers who drink were asked to identify the different tactics they have used to avoid drinking and driving. Their responses are listed in Table 1. As can be seen, almost all teenagers in both stages have used a designated driver and have travelled with friends to avoid drinking and driving. Many also drink non-alcoholic beverages at social events and parties. Teenagers in the newly licensed driver stage are more likely than those in the learner s stage to get a family member to drive them (69 percent compared to 48 percent) or to use taxis or public

4 transportation (55 percent compared to 44 percent). Few teenagers get someone else to drive them home in their car. Other ways that some teens say they use to avoid drinking and driving include: walk; wait until they are sober to drive; stay at home to drink; and stay over the night. These self-reported practices suggest that many teenagers who drink are making responsible decisions regarding drinking and driving. Table 1 : Percent of Teenagers W ho Report Using Different Tactics to Avoid D rinking and Driving Tactic Be a passenger in a vehicle driven by someone who will not be drinking Learner s Stage 93% Newlv Licensed Driver Stage 95% Travel with friends 92% 90% Drink non-alcoholic drinks at social events or parties 72% 67% Get a family member to drive Use taxis or public transport 44% 55% Get someone else to drive you home in your car 36% 26% D IS C U S S IO N Parents appear to be well informed about the zero BAC restriction but teenagers, especially those in the learner s stage, are far less likely than their parents to know about the restriction. Accordingly, jurisdictions that have or are currently considering introducing a zero BAC restriction as part of a graduated licensing program should ensure that teenagers are well informed about this requirement. Almost all parents and even teenagers who appear to be uninformed about the zero BAC restriction overwhelmingly support it. The high level of support among uninformed teenagers likely results from their exposure to drinking and driving countermeasures and to the fact that such behaviour is generally viewed today as socially unacceptable. These results suggest that

5 jurisdictions contemplating a zero BAC restriction for teenagers either on its own or as part of a graduated licensing system need not be concerned that parents and teens will oppose it. Almost all teenagers say they personally comply with the zero BAC restriction while at the same time they believe their peers do not always comply with it. Indeed, 1/4 o f the teens in the first stage of the graduated licensing program and 1/3 of those in the second stage believe their peers drink and drive. Even though they do not believe this is frequent behaviour, it cannot be viewed as uncommon e.g., teens in the second stage of the program believe that about 1/4 of those who drink and drive do so often. This issue must be given serious consideration not only because drinking is illegal for this group, as is driving after drinking, but because of the extremely high crash risk faced by teens even at low BACs (Mayhew et. al 1986). Accordingly, efforts should be introduced to ensure that teenagers are aware of the zero BAC restriction and the legal penalties for noncompliance and methods explored to enhance detection of violators. On a more positive note, the majority of teens who drink comply with the zero BAC restriction. The findings also suggest that many teenagers who drink are making responsible decisions regarding drinking and driving e.g., many use a designated driver to avoid drinking and driving. REFEREN CES Mayhew, D.R., Donelson, A.C., Beirness, D.J. and Simpson, H.M. (1986). Youth, alcohol and relative risk of crash involvement. Accident Analysis and Prevention 18 (4): Mayhew, D.R. and Simpson, H.M. (1996). Effectiveness and Role o f Driver Education and Training in a Graduated Licensing System. Arlington, VA: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

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