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NORC at the University Chicago

Factors That Impact Decisions to Drive Impaired

A traffic jam on a freeway at rush-hour. The stretch of highway is a raised overpass near central Auckland. Road congestion is a major issue for Auckland city.
Understanding individual, social, and contextual factors that shape decisions about impaired driving
  • Client
    AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety
  • Dates
    April 2025 – November 2026

Problem

We lack comprehensive evidence about what factors influence whether drivers choose to drive impaired or seek alternative transportation.

Impaired driving remains a significant traffic safety and public health challenge in the United States, with alcohol involvement contributing to approximately 30 percent of all traffic-related fatalities. While the consequences are well documented, policymakers and traffic safety practitioners need clearer evidence about the individual, social, and contextual factors that lead some drivers to choose to drive after drinking while others seek alternative transportation. This research will provide decision-makers with the data-driven insights needed to develop more effective prevention strategies.

Solution

NORC will use a multi-mode data collection approach to explore factors that impact driver decision-making.

NORC is examining how drivers make decisions regarding whether to drive after drinking alcohol. NORC is working with James Fell, renowned researcher on traffic safety and alcohol policy issues, to explore the question: What are the individual, social, and contextual factors that influence drivers’ decisions to drive while impaired?

To do this, the team will complete the following tasks:

  • Conduct a literature review to understand factors related to driving while impaired.
  • Analyze data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) to understand the characteristics of people who have been involved in fatal crashes and alcohol-impaired drivers in comparison with those who are not impaired by alcohol.
  • Conduct a survey using AmeriSpeak® to explore why people drive while impaired by alcohol compared to others who drink alcohol and choose not to drive impaired.
  • Interview people who reported in the survey they drove at least once after having too much to drink as well as those who had too much to drink but did not drive.
  • Use data from the literature review, FARS analysis, and survey to develop models that describe characteristics of motorists who drink and drive and those who drink but do not drink and drive.
  • Develop models, driver profiles, and recommended actions to reduce alcohol-impaired driving, and summarize findings in a final report.

Result

The data will inform recommendations for traffic safety practitioners to reduce impaired driving.

This project will inform traffic safety research and practice, helping us to answer important questions about alcohol-impaired driving. The models and profiles will help traffic safety professionals working in State Highway Safety Offices; traffic safety stakeholders; federal, state, and local agencies; and others to reduce and prevent alcohol-impaired driving.

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