BREATH ALCOHOL CONCENTRATION AND DRIVING: THE BRAC AND CONFIDENCE OF DRIVERS AFTER DRINKING IN DOWNTOWN GREENVILLE

Abstract

Consumption of an alcoholic beverage has been proven time and time to have a negative affect on one’s cognitive functioning (Phillips & Brewer, 2011). The current study attempted to explore the confidence of bar patrons’ ability to drive after consuming alcohol. Two nights were selected during the Fall of 2015 for collection of data. Patrons (N=568) in the area of downtown Greenville, a college town with a plethora of bars, were interviewed and given a brief survey between the hours of 10:30 P.M. and 2:00 A.M. The survey included: demographics, alcohol behaviors, and confidence in their ability to drive. Following the survey, the breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) of the participant was recorded. The mean BrAC of those who did not feel confident in their ability to drive was 0.09% (SD=0.05) while the mean BrAC of participants who did feel confident in their ability to drive was 0.05% (SD=0.49). These results indicated there was a significant relationship between breath alcohol concentration and their confidence in their ability to drive after consuming alcohol (x2=70.383, p<0.001%) with a medium effect size (Cramer’s V=0.357). Established by these results, bar patrons in Greenville, North Carolina are confidently deciphering if they should or should not drive after alcohol consumption; however, as indicated by previous studies, drinking and driving is still a prevalent problem.