How many drinks does it take? Perceptions of risk associated with drinking, driving, and engaging in common activities

Abstract

How many drinks does it take? This study asked participants how many drinks it would take to reach a legal limit of 0.08% BAC and what number of drinks they would need to have before they no longer felt safe supervising a child, swimming, bicycling, driving, and walking. Eighty-eight college students with a mean age of 21.7 years responded to a series of questions based on nationwide studies of traffic safety culture and drinking and driving attitudes conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the American Automobile Association (AAA). In addition, quantitative and qualitative estimates of participants' perceptions of drinking and driving risks at different BAC levels were collected, categorized, and compared to traffic data.

Alcohol, Everyday Activities, and Recognizing the Risk of a Few Drinks

“…Compared to the university students surveyed by Burhans et al (2013), participants in this survey provided significantly lower estimates of the number of drinks it would take for a variety of common activities to become unsafe (see Figures 2 and 3).…”

“…All comparisons between these survey participants and the university students in Burhans et al (2013) were significant when compared with two-sample T-tests, ps < 0.05 for both drinks and calculated BACs. However, the differences were smaller for the "drinks" versus BAC calculations because the adult sample had slightly lower BACs due to marginally higher average body weights.…”

“…Survey data from university students in these areas has been previously reported by Burhans, Frantz, Rhoades, Fuller, & Schanski (2013).…”

“…However, the differences were smaller for the "drinks" versus BAC calculations because the adult sample had slightly lower BACs due to marginally higher average body weights. Burhans et al (2013) and present adult sample with participants reporting when they believe activities would become unsafe. 95% confidence intervals are shown.…”

“…95% confidence intervals are shown. Burhans et al (2013) and present adult sample with participants reporting when they believe activities would become unsafe. 95% confidence intervals are shown.…”