Personal determinants of acceptance of drinking and driving among Polish drivers

Abstract

Background The aim of the study was to explore a number of personal predictors that increase one’s approval of driving under the influence (DUI). In keeping with the previous studies, we assumed this approval will more often be expressed by unmarried young men with a lower level of education, who are additionally characterized by a higher need for stimulation, risk acceptance, sensation seeking, and a preference for hedonic values. Participants and procedure After examining more than 1000 drivers, we selected a group of 254 individuals (97 men, 157 women) who formed our study group. In our survey, these drivers admitted to driving while intoxicated in the past, but at the same time declared that small doses of alcohol did not limit their driving skills. We used a set of research tools in order to verify the assumptions. The following tools measured temperamental and personality variables: Formal Characteristics of Behavior-Temperament Inventory, Risk Acceptance Scale, Stimulating-Instrumental Risk Inventory, Scheler Value Scale, Rotter’s Locus of Control Scale, and Zuckerman’s Sensation Seeking Scale. Results Driving under the influence of alcohol is most often approved of by unmarried men who have a higher level of education and are characterized by low levels of sensory sensitivity, low levels of emotional reactivity, an internal locus of control, a high need for risks, high sensation-seeking tendencies, and who prefer vital and aesthetic values. Conclusions It is well justified to examine personal predictors of various dangerous road behaviors, such as driving under the influence of intoxicating substances. These studies could aid both creating effective social prevention programs and conducting psychological screening tests.

Keywords

• attitudes
• values
• sensation seeking
• drinking and driving (DUI)