Reciprocity between Drinking Driving and Riding with Drunk Drivers: A Study of College Students

This research examined drinking driving (DD) and riding with drunk drivers (RWDD) among college students. Introduction Few efforts have examined the relationship between drinking driving and riding with drunk drivers among college students. Yu and Shacket (1) argued that drinking driving and riding with drunk drivers are two closely related behaviors since a person who would not ride with an impaired driver is not likely to be involved in drinking driving and vice versa. Furthermore, the relationship between the two behaviors may be reciprocal, in that frequent involvement in riding with drunk drivers may increase the chance of drinking driving, and frequent drinking driving may enhance the risk of riding with drunk drivers. For college students, however, unique conditions may aggravate their risks for drinking driving and riding with drunk drivers. Students tend to have easy access to cars, and about half of the students have a car or truck with them while attending college (2). Students usually live closely together in dorms or apartments and tend to go out together to consume alcohol at parties or at bars, in many of these cases cars being the means of transportation. Also, more importantly, in most situations students do not have direct parental supervision while in college, which tends to decrease youth involvement in drinking driving (3). Thus, college students are not only at high risk of drinking driving but also have a high chance of riding with impaired drivers. Two specific hypotheses were developed. First, drinking driving (DD) and riding with drunk drivers (RWDD) are two closely related behaviors. Thus, conditions that increase the chance of drinking driving may also increase the chance of riding with drunk drivers. Second, DD and RWDD may constitute two dynamic aspects of the same behavior pattern. A student may be a driver on one trip and a passenger on another. Students who are constantly engaged in RWDD are more likely to engage in DD; similarly, students who are frequently involved in DD have increased chances of RWDD. This hypothesis suggests simultaneity; that is, DD and RWDD enhance each other.