National Survey of Drinking and Driving Attitudes and Behaviors: 2008: Volume 2: Findings Report
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Summary
This report presents the findings of the 2008 National Survey of Drinking and Driving Attitudes and Behaviors, the eighth in a series conducted for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The study was motivated by the persistent public health burden of alcohol-impaired driving, which accounted for 32% of motor vehicle crash fatalities in 2008. The primary objective was to assess current trends in the public’s attitudes, knowledge, and self-reported behaviors regarding drinking and driving to identify areas requiring further intervention. The research utilized a national telephone survey conducted by Gallup, Inc., between September and December 2008. The sample comprised 6,999 interviews with individuals aged 16 and older, including both landline and cell-phone respondents to ensure comprehensive coverage. A stratified Random Digit Dialing procedure was employed, with oversampling of young adults (ages 16–24) to allow for distinct subgroup analysis. Data were weighted to match U.S. population demographics. The study employed six logistic regression models to explore predictors of drinking-driving behaviors, intervention efforts, and knowledge of alcohol laws, controlling for variables such as age, gender, income, and social pressures. Key findings indicate that 20% of the driving-age population reported driving within two hours of consuming alcohol in the past year, a rate largely unchanged from previous survey years. However, computed national estimates revealed an increase in total drinking-driving trips, rising to 85.5 million in the past 30 days from 73.7 million in 2004, reversing a long-term declining trend. Males were significantly overrepresented, accounting for 78% of past-month drinking-driving trips despite comprising only 48% of the population. Problem drinkers, identified through specific behavioral criteria, were more likely to drive when they believed they were over the legal blood alcohol concentration limit (56%) compared to other drinking-drivers (24%). While 81% of respondents viewed drinking and driving by others as a major safety threat, only 33% had ridden with a designated driver in the past year. Additionally, 30% of respondents had seen a sobriety checkpoint in the past year, and perceptions of enforcement effectiveness varied, with only 33% believing drivers who have had too much to drink are very likely or almost certain to be stopped by police. The significance of these findings lies in the disconnect between high public concern regarding drinking and driving and the persistence of the behavior, particularly among males and problem drinkers. The reversal of the declining trend in drinking-driving trips suggests that previous interventions may have reached a plateau or that new strategies are required. The data highlight the need for targeted interventions addressing specific demographics, such as young adult males and problem drinkers, and underscore the importance of evaluating the perceived effectiveness of enforcement mechanisms like sobriety checkpoints and penalties.
Key finding
Twenty percent of the driving-age population drove within two hours of drinking alcohol in the past year, resulting in an estimated 85.5 million drinking-driving trips in the past 30 days.
Methodology
survey
Sample size: 6999
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Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.
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- Empirical Findings: observational prevalence