Drinking and driving in university students: an international study of 23 countries

The importance of self-regulatory and goal-conflicting processes in the avoidance of drunk driving among Greek young drivers

“…As such, and given that anonymity that was ensured, it seems that people did not feel reluctant to report on possible inconsistencies between their intentions and behaviour, or the engagement in drunk driving. Moreover, it should be noted that the prevalence of self-reported drunk driving in our study sample seems in line with findings found elsewhere (SARTRE, 1998;Steptoe et al, 2004). Also, it has been shown that there is a valid positive association between self-reported drinking and driving levels and road traffic accident death rates (Steptoe et al, 2004).…”

“…Moreover, it should be noted that the prevalence of self-reported drunk driving in our study sample seems in line with findings found elsewhere (SARTRE, 1998;Steptoe et al, 2004). Also, it has been shown that there is a valid positive association between self-reported drinking and driving levels and road traffic accident death rates (Steptoe et al, 2004). However, in order to eliminate further potential bias, a future replication of the study using a prospective design would be desirable.…”

“…The distribution of drunk drivers among men (33.8%) and women (12.0%) in the entire sample showed to be equivalent to results found in the study by Steptoe et al (2004), among Greek university students.…”

“…In addition, it has been found that drunk driving is mainly prevalent among young drivers aged 21-24 years (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2000). In an international study among university students from 23 countries, Steptoe et al (2004) showed that approximately 20% of the men and 7% of the women reported having driven under the influence of alcohol. In Greece, the drunk driving prevalence among this target population is even higher, with 30% of the male and 12% of the female university students having reported driving under the influence of alcohol within the last year (Steptoe et al, 2004).…”

Crime as risk taking

“…Study 2 also demonstrated that the findings of Study 1 could be generalized to another criminal activity (i.e., drinking and driving) that is common among university populations (Paschal, 2003;Steptoe et al, 2004). Intentions to drink and drive are best predicted by individuals' perceptions of the importance or value of the benefits that may be gained, irrespective of their probabilities or the drawbacks that may also be incurred.…”