Drink driving as a social problem: comparing the attitudes and knowledge of drink driving offenders and the general community.

Using data from a community survey together with data from a survey of drink-driving offenders, this paper compares the attitudes and knowledge of two matched samples on a number of drink driving issues. The total sample (149 offenders and 149 community sample respondents) were interviewed using a survey instrument containing a number of comparable questions. The offender sample were interviewed by trained interviewers in a face-to-face format, while the general community sample were interviewed using a computer aided telephone interview system. The specific issues dealt with include: a) knowledge of safe drinking and blood alcohol consumption (BAC) levels; b) attitudes towards strategies for avoiding drink driving; and c) general attitudes regarding drink driving. The analysis uses logistic regression to investigate the differences between the responses given by the two samples. The findings illustrate a number of significant differences in knowledge and attitudes between offenders and the general community.