Driving After Drinking in Canada Findings from the Canadian Addiction Survey Douglas J. Beirness, PhD1 Christopher G. Davis, PhD1,2
ABSTRACT Background: Despite substantial decreases in the magnitude of the alcohol-crash problem over the past 25 years, many Canadians continue to drive under the influence of alcohol, causing thousands of serious injuries and deaths every year. Methods: Data from the 2004 Canadian Addiction Survey (CAS) were used to determine the prevalence of self-reported driving after drinking and the characteristics of those who engage in the behaviour. Results: Overall, 11.6% of licensed drivers in Canada reported operating a vehicle within an hour of consuming two or more drinks containing alcohol. Less than 5% of licensed drivers accounted for 86% of the more than 20 million (estimated) past-year drinking and driving occurrences. Drinking Drivers reported more extensive and problematic use of alcohol, and were more likely to report illegal drug use relative to Non-drinking Drivers. Conclusion: Driving after drinking remains a common behaviour among Canadian drivers. Those who persist in driving after drinking can be distinguished from other drivers on the basis of their greater use of alcohol and drugs. Those who drive after drinking frequently consume even greater quantities of alcohol on more frequent occasions and are more likely to experience problems as a result of their drinking. These findings suggest that countermeasure efforts need to be continued on all levels and expanded to specifically target high-risk heavy drinkers. MeSH terms: Alcohol drinking; accidents traffic; risk taking
uring the 1980s, the magnitude of the alcohol-crash problem in Canada decreased substantially. In 1982, 60% of drivers killed in road crashes in Canada tested positive for alcohol; by 1990, the percent of driver fatalities involving alcohol had decreased to 43%.1,2 Subsequent decreases have been small and inconsistent. In 2004, 3,012 drivers were involved in serious injury crashes and 815 people died in collisions involving a drinking driver in Canada. 3 Clearly, alcohol continues to be a major factor in motor vehicle fatalities and injuries. Self-report surveys reveal a similar pattern in the prevalence of drinking-driving behaviour. In a national household survey conducted by Transport Canada in 1983, 51.8% of current drinkers reported operating a vehicle within two hours of consuming alcohol within the past 30 days.4 The 1988 National Survey on Drinking and Driving found 24.6% of current drinkers reported driving within an hour of having two or more drinks within the past 12 months; 5 one year later, the National Alcohol and Drug Survey reported 18.8% had done so. 6 In 1994, the Canadian Alcohol and Drug Survey reported that 20.5% of current drinkers had driven after drinking within the past 12 months.7 This paper uses data from the Canadian Addiction Survey (CAS) to provide a contemporary estimate of the extent of driving after drinking in Canada and to describe the characteristics of those who persist in driving after drinking in a climate where such behaviour is widely censured.
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METHOD The Canadian Addiction Survey (CAS)8 is a telephone survey conducted in late 2003 and early 2004 on behalf of the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, Health Canada, and the Canadian Executive Council on Addictions.* The CAS is based *
La traduction du résumé se trouve à la fin de l’article. 1. Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, Ottawa, ON 2. Department of Psychology, Carleton University, Ottawa Correspondence and reprint requests: Douglas J. Beirness, Senior Research Associate, Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, Suite 300, 75 Albert St., Ottawa, ON K1P 5E7, Tel: 613-235-4048, Fax: 613-235-8101, E-mail:
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The Canadian Addiction Survey (CAS) is a collaborative initiative sponsored by Health Canada, the Canadian Executive Council on Addictions (CECA) – which includes the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse (CCSA), the Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission (AADAC), the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba (AFM), the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), the Prince Edward Island Provincial Health Services Authority, and the Kaiser Foundation – the Centre for Addictions Research of BC (CARBC), and the provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and British Columbia. VOLUME 98, NO. 6
DRIVING AFTER DRINKING IN CANADA
TABLE I Population Estimates of Demographic Characteristics of Drinking and Non-drinking Drivers
% Male Mean Age† (years) % Married/Partnered‡ % Employed FT§ Mean Personal Income ($1000) % Drive Daily
Drinking Drivers (95% CI) 78.1 (70.8 – 84.0) 39.8 (36.9 – 42.7) 49.4 (40.9 – 58.0) 63.3 (54.4 – 71.4) 38.3 (34.2 – 43.3) 92.6 (85.7 – 96.3)
Non-drinking Drivers (95% CI) 45.8 (42.3 – 49.4) 43.4 (42.2 – 44.6) 62.5 (59.0 – 65.9) 48.9 (45.4 – 52.5) 33.3 (31.1 – 35.3) 81.7 (78.7 – 84.3)
Test*
Signif
OR=4.22 F=4.94 OR=0.55 OR=1.57 F=4.54 OR=2.66
p
