Characteristics of Dwi/dui Drivers; Driving Performance

The primary objective of this paper is to study the driving patterns of the Tennessee DUI drivers, in order to understand alcohol-related crashes and fatalities in Tennessee. Data were obtained from the Tennessee Department of Highway Safety. Driving records were analyzed for drivers who received a citation for a driving violation in 1999, since they received their driving licenses. Out of a total 4,355,230 valid licensed drivers in 1999, 671,544 drivers were cited for traffic movement violations. These cited drivers were recorded to have a total of 989,848 traffic movement violations since they received their driving license. The analyses revealed that among these drivers 68% were males, 78% were whites, and about 15% (99,388) were cited for DUI offences. In addition to the typologies of the drinking-drivers’ traffic violations, this study explores the possibility of detecting indirectly the drivers’ driving skills and attitudes toward drinking-driving. Introduction Studies describing the characteristics of drinking-drivers and DUI offenders (1,3,4,7,12) reveal that unemployed, single, separated or divorced individuals, with a lower level of formal education and lower socioeconomic status are over-represented for drinking-driving and DUI offences. Most are males between the ages of 20-50. However, the results on lifestyle behavior studies of DUI offenders are not consistent. Some have indicated a relationship between higher rates of traffic movement violations and automobile crashes among crash involved and/or DUI offenders (2), but others have found no relationship between drinking-driving and auto accidents (6). Studies also identify a higher level of tobacco and drug use among the crash involved drivers (2,8), where the events occur mostly in relation to sports, bar attendance, spending time with friends and other social activities (10). Studies on motivations to drink and drive indicate that these activities are affected by sub-cultural norms, expectations, and values implemented by individuals (10). Some studies have also revealed that work-related stress might have been the pre-conditional factor in drinking-driving, which then leads to auto-crashes. Attitudinal studies, suggest that personal attitudes and decisions made well in advance of drinking-driving are highly predictive of impaired driving and crashes (5).