2013\u20132014 National Roadside Study of Alcohol and Drug Use by Drivers: Alcohol Results

NHTSA - Behavioral Safety Researchhttps://doi.org/10.21949/15259032016PDFStatistical ReportRamirez, AnthonyBerning, AmyKelley-Baker, TaraLacey, John H.Yao, JulieTippetts, A. ScottScherer, MichaelCarr, KatherinePell, KarenCompton, Richard P.Pacific Institute for Research and EvaluationUnited States. Department of Transportation. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Office of Behavioral Safety ResearchInsurance Institute for Highway SafetyNational Institute on Drug AbuseWochinger, KathrynColeman, HeidiUnited States. Department of Transportation. National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationUnited StatesAlcohol breath testsDrunk driversDrunk drivingField studiesNightTrend (Statistics)WeekendsAlcohol and drivingdrugs and drivingroadside surveyimpaired drivingdrugged drivingalcohol-involved drivingdrug-involved drivingNRSResearch HubDOT HS 812 362DTNH22-11-C-00216LFinal reportThis report describes the alcohol results from the 2013\u20132014 National Roadside Survey (NRS), a national field study to estimate the prevalence of alcohol-, drug-, and alcohol-plus-drug-involved driving, primarily among nighttime weekend drivers, but also daytime Friday drivers. This study involved a random sample of drivers at 300 locations across the continental United States. The sites were selected through a stratified random sampling procedure. Data was collected during one 2-hour Friday daytime session (either 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. or 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.) at 60 locations and during four 2-hour nighttime periods (10 p.m. to midnight and 1 to 3 a.m. on both Friday and Saturday nights) at 240 locations. Data included observational and biological samples. Biological samples included breath-alcohol measurements from 9,455 respondents, oral fluid samples from 7,881 respondents, and blood samples from 4,686 respondents. This report focuses on the alcohol breath-test results, presents the 2013 122014 prevalence estimates for alcohol-involved driving, and compares them with the four previous NRS studies. The data indicates a continuing trend of decreasing alcohol-involved driving on U.S. roads during weekend nights over the five NRS studies, including a large change in the percentage of drivers who were alcohol positive, from 36.1% in 1973 to 8.3% in 2013-2014, and an 80% reduction in the percentage of drivers with breath alcohol concentrations (BrACs) of .08 grams per deciliter (g/dL) and higher, from 7.5% in 1973 to 1.5% in 2013-2014.129