Drinking-driving attitudes, knowledge and behavior : an analysis of the first four telephone surveys of the Fairfax Alcohol Safety Action Project.
archive: archived pipeline: cataloged verified
Get this paper ↗ (full text — opens at the source; we link to it, we don't host it)
Summary
This report evaluates the effectiveness of the Public Information and Education (PI&E) countermeasure within the Fairfax Alcohol Safety Action Project (ASAP), a federally funded initiative aimed at reducing drunk driving in Virginia. The study analyzes data from four telephone surveys conducted in June and December of 1975 and 1976, comparing results to earlier household surveys from 1971 and 1974. The primary objective was to assess changes in public attitudes, knowledge, and self-reported behaviors regarding alcohol consumption and driving, as well as awareness of alcohol-related advertising and countermeasures. The methodology involved telephone interviews with approximately 500 respondents per survey, drawn from the Northern Virginia telephone book and stratified by sex and age. The sample included residents aged 16 and older, with a specific quota to ensure at least 5% were between 16 and 21 years old. Statistical analyses, including chi-square tests and the construction of composite scales for behavior and knowledge, were used to identify significant trends over time and differences between survey modes. Regarding behavior, self-reported drinking and driving decreased significantly compared to 1974 household surveys, with fewer respondents admitting to driving after drinking or when intoxicated. However, the authors caution that this shift may reflect differences in interview techniques (telephone versus personal) rather than actual behavioral change. In terms of knowledge, most misconceptions about alcohol remained stable, though awareness that coffee does not sober a driver improved significantly. Conversely, fewer respondents correctly defined Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC), and the majority continued to underestimate the number of drinks required to reach the legal limit, indicating the "Know Your Limit" campaign had not yet succeeded. Public awareness of drunk driving as a serious problem remained high, with over 90% of respondents viewing it as extremely or very serious. Awareness of alcohol-related advertising increased, particularly messages related to bystander intervention ("friends don't let friends drive drunk"). However, specific awareness of the ASAP program itself was at its lowest point. Attitudes toward bystander intervention showed little change, with driving the intoxicated person home being the preferred method. Notably, respondents were less likely to engage in preventive host behaviors, such as asking guests if they were driving or withholding drinks from intoxicated guests. Despite this, strong public support remained for police enforcement (90%) and severe penalties (76%), the latter being a measure not currently implemented by the ASAP.
Key finding
Self-reported drinking and driving behaviors improved significantly in 1976 telephone surveys compared to 1971 and 1974 household surveys, while specific program awareness declined and most respondents continued to underestimate the number of drinks required to reach legal intoxication.
Methodology
survey
Sample size: 500
Provenance
The full processing record for this entry. Every stage of this paper's journey through the pipeline is logged — what ran, with which tool and model, how many attempts it took, and when it last completed. Discovered via bulk_ingest_rosap on 2026-05-23 (6 acquisition events logged).
| Stage | Outcome | Tool | Model | Prompt | Attempts | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| discover | success | rosap | — | — | 2 | 2026-05-23 |
| archive | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-05-23 |
| extract | success | cached | — | — | 2 | 2026-06-10 |
| clean | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-01 |
| chunk | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-01 |
| embed | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-02 |
| enrich | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-05-23 |
| promote | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-05-23 |
| summarize | success | llm | qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant | summ-v5 | 3 | 2026-06-10 |
| tag | success | vector_similarity | — | — | 19 | 2026-06-11 |
| verify | success | — | — | — | 2 | 2026-06-10 |
Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.
Topics
Ranked by relevance to this paper. Hover a topic for its definition.
Information type
What kind of knowledge this paper contributes, grouped by family — independent of topic (what it is about) and method (how it was studied).
- Empirical Findings: observational prevalence