Alcohol and Highway Safety: A Special Report on Race/Ethnicity and Impaired Driving [Traffic Tech]

NHTSA · 2010 · ROSA P / United States. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

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Summary

This report, published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in 2010, reviews the state of knowledge regarding alcohol-impaired driving among major racial and ethnic groups in the United States. Conducted by the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, the study aims to clarify the relationship between race, ethnicity, acculturation, and impaired driving, while also examining broader patterns of alcohol use and misuse. The report highlights that while race and ethnicity influence health-related disparities, including those associated with impaired driving, intra-group variations in culture, norms, and behaviors often exceed inter-group differences. The authors adhere to 1997 Office of Management and Budget guidelines for defining race and ethnicity, noting the analytical challenge of isolating culturally related behaviors from confounding factors such as socioeconomic status, gender, and age. The review synthesizes existing literature on alcohol consumption and impaired driving risks across five primary groups: White, African-American, Hispanic, Asian, and Native American. Findings indicate that alcohol abstention is highest among Asian adults and lowest among Whites, with Native Americans showing lower abstention rates. Among drinkers, Native Americans exhibit the highest rates of binge and heavy drinking, followed by Hispanics and Whites, while Asians show the lowest rates. Data for African-Americans are conflicting, suggesting a "two worlds" pattern of a majority of light drinkers and a smaller group of heavy drinkers. Regarding impaired driving, Native American and White drivers are consistently identified as being at the highest risk, whereas Asians are the least vulnerable. The risk profile for Hispanic and African-American drivers varies depending on the metric used; based on vehicle miles traveled (VMT), these groups show higher crash involvement than Whites, while the Crash Incidence Ratio (CIR) suggests a substantially higher risk for Hispanic drivers compared to African-Americans and Whites. The report identifies several moderators affecting impaired driving prevalence, including age, gender, and marital status, with young, single males being most at risk across all groups. Cultural factors also play a significant role; for instance, gender gaps in impaired driving are wider among Hispanics, potentially influenced by perceptions of risk and fatalism, which are reported to be higher among Hispanics and African-Americans. Geographic factors further influence vulnerability, with higher risks observed near alcohol outlets in low-income neighborhoods, along the Mexican/U.S. border, and in rural settings, particularly for Native Americans on "dry" reservations. The significance of this report lies in its identification of gaps in current research and policy implementation. There is a scarcity of peer-reviewed studies on how policy changes differentially affect minority populations. Consequently, the authors emphasize the need for culturally sensitive prevention messages and appropriate communication channels. Suggestions include using peers to disseminate information to Hispanic and White teenagers and incorporating law enforcement into prevention programs, though the appropriateness of these strategies varies by group. The report underscores the complexity of addressing impaired driving disparities, requiring nuanced approaches that account for cultural, socioeconomic, and geographic variables.

Methodology

review

Provenance

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Topics

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• demographic disparities
• cultural cross national
• sex gender
• alcohol