The underlying psychology of drink driving: An exploratory qualitative investigation of frequent alcohol use and metacognitions

Tahlia Wyer; Kerry Armstrong; Gregoire S. Larue; Sjaan Koppel; Steven Love

doi:10.1016/j.trf.2026.103825

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The underlying psychology of drink driving: An exploratory qualitative investigation of frequent alcohol use and metacognitions

Journal article

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The underlying psychology of drink driving: An exploratory qualitative investigation of frequent alcohol use and metacognitions

Tahlia Wyer, Kerry Armstrong, Gregoire S. Larue, Sjaan Koppel and Steven Love

Transportation Research. Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, Vol.123, pp.1-14

2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trf.2026.103825

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Abstract

Alcohol use

Drink driving

Metacognitions

Problem drinking

Self-regulation

This study explored how self-reported drink drivers perceive alcohol to affect their psychological functioning, and how these perceptions contributed to drink driving behaviour. Twenty-one Australian self-reported drink drivers participated in semi-structured interviews, and data were analysed using hybrid inductive-deductive Thematic Analysis. Consistent with the metacognitive model of problem drinking, the first four themes suggested alcohol was used to regulate emotional distress, reinforcing beliefs about the benefits and harms of alcohol, while simultaneously reducing awareness of its effects on thinking and behaviour. The final two themes extended the model by identifying that impaired monitoring contributed to increased alcohol use and reduced perceptions of drink driving risk. Moral disengagement also emerged as a novel mechanism through which participants justified drink driving via social comparison and self-justification, further reinforcing alcohol use and drink driving behaviour. Together, the findings suggest that emotional dysregulation, maladaptive metacognitive beliefs, impaired self-monitoring, and moral disengagement operate in a self-reinforcing cycle sustaining problematic alcohol use and drink driving behaviour. These findings provide the first qualitative evidence supporting the application of the metacognitive model to drink driving. The findings could also inform future quantitative drink driving research investigating the role of metacognition and emotion dysregulation in drink driving behaviour.

Details

Title: The underlying psychology of drink driving: An exploratory qualitative investigation of frequent alcohol use and metacognitions
Authors: Tahlia Wyer (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast
Kerry Armstrong - University of the Sunshine Coast
Gregoire S. Larue - University of the Sunshine Coast
Sjaan Koppel - Monash University
Steven Love - University of the Sunshine Coast
Publication details: Transportation Research. Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, Vol.123, pp.1-14
Publisher: Elsevier Ltd
Date published: 2026
DOI: 10.1016/j.trf.2026.103825
ISSN: 1873-5517
Data Availability: Data will be made available on request.
Grant note: This research was funded by the MAIC/UniSC Road Safety Research Collaboration Grant.
Organisation Unit: Road Safety Research Collaboration; School of Health - Psychology; School of Health - Sports & Exercise Science; School of Law and Society
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991266096102621
Output Type: Journal article

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