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Published VersionCC BY-NC-ND V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
The influence of past experiences, psychological dysfunction, and problematic mentalities: An investigation into the comprehensive nature of drink-driving deterrence
Journal of Safety Research, Vol.94, pp.167-179
2025
Appears in UniSC Supported Open Access Outputs
Abstract
Introduction: Despite ongoing efforts to deter drink-driving, it remains a significant contributor to fatal vehicle crashes. This study aimed to investigate the influence of at-risk psychological traits, alcohol-related experiences, and problematic mentalities towards the deterrence of drink-driving. Method: An online survey was shared with a sample of Australians who use alcohol (N = 597), and the responses were analyzed using cluster, comparative, and correlational-based analyses. Two K means cluster analyses were independently conducted, and each exhibited three unique clusters, according to the degree of psychological and experiential risk for future drink driving. Results: Chi-square tests showed that the high-risk psychological group was approximately 10 times more likely to also categorize in the high-risk experiential group. Comparative analyses demonstrated that participants’ mentality towards alcohol and drink-driving significantly differed across the cluster groups, relative to the degree of psychological and experiential risk. Split-file correlations also indicated that the relationship between risk perceptions and perceived drink-driving likelihood was dependent on which cluster group was being examined. Finally, bivariate correlations and structural equation modeling confirmed potential hierarchical relationships between prior experiences with alcohol, psychological traits, alcohol and drink-driving mentalities, and perceived drink-driving likelihood, in descending order. Conclusions: Overall, this study demonstrated that at-risk experiential and psychological factors may determine the level of influence that risk perceptions (and thus deterrence initiatives) have towards offending behavior. The findings also suggested that deterrence of drink driving is multi-faceted and may require additional interventional approaches outside of traditional enforcement initiatives. Practical Applications: Relevant authorities may therefore benefit from more collaborative and comprehensive approaches to reduce the prevalence of drink-driving behavior.
Details
- Title
- The influence of past experiences, psychological dysfunction, and problematic mentalities: An investigation into the comprehensive nature of drink-driving deterrence
- Authors
- Steven Love (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Road Safety Research CollaborationBevan Rowland - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Road Safety Research CollaborationGregoire s. Larue - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Road Safety Research Collaboration
- Publication details
- Journal of Safety Research, Vol.94, pp.167-179
- Publisher
- Elsevier Ltd
- Date published
- 2025
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.jsr.2025.06.013
- ISSN
- 1879-1247; 0022-4375
- Copyright note
- © 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/bync-nd/4.0/).
- Data Availability
- The datasets generated during and analysed during the current study are not publicly available due to ethical restrictions.
- Grant note
- This study was funded by a grant between the Queensland Motor Accident Insurance Commission and the University of the Sunshine Coast.
- Organisation Unit
- Road Safety Research Collaboration; School of Law and Society
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991144504102621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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- Web Of Science research areas
- Ergonomics
- Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
- Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary
- Transportation
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