Rural Students' Exposure to Risk from Automobile Travel When the Driver is Under the Influence of Alcohol or Drugs

Abstract

Abstract: Teenage students are exposed to exceptionally high levels of risk from automobile accidents when (1) they drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs, (2) they are a passenger in a car when the driver is under the influence, or (3) they encounter another vehicle on the road driven by a person under the influence. This study examines the prevalence of risk from the first two of these situations among 6,938 rural junior and senior high school students in 11 Mississippi school districts. Data were collected through the Student Alcohol and Drug Use Survey System operated by the University of Mississippi. The percentage of students who had driven under the influence during the 30 days previous to the study ranged from 4.6 percent in the 7th grade to 26.5 percent in the 12th grade. The percentage of students who rode as passengers when the driver was under the influence ranged from 35.2 percent in the 7th grade to a high of 49.2 percent in the 10th grade. More than one third of 7th grade students and more than one half of the high school students had been at risk as a driver or passenger during the 30 days previous to the study. More male students than female students had driven under the influence or been at risk to DUI overall. Whites were more likely than blacks to report DUI behavior. Overall, 12.1 percent of the students indicated they had been in an automobile accident during the last year when the driver was under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Male students were more likely than female students to have been in an alcohol‐related accident. During the month previous to the test, 21.6 percent of the students indicated they had served as the designated driver. Males were more likely than females to have been a designated driver.