Understanding the Cause and Diversity of Women's Drink and Drug Driving—A Qualitative Exploration

Kerry Armstrong; Hanna Watling; Taren Mieran; Jessica Marigold

doi:10.1111/dar.70141

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Understanding the Cause and Diversity of Women's Drink and Drug Driving—A Qualitative Exploration

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Understanding the Cause and Diversity of Women's Drink and Drug Driving—A Qualitative Exploration

Kerry Armstrong, Hanna Watling, Taren Mieran and Jessica Marigold

Drug and Alcohol Review, Vol.45(3), pp.1-13

2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/dar.70141

PMCID: PMC12968506

PMID: 41797219

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Abstract

drink driving

drug driving

impaired driving

qualitative

women

Introduction Drink and drug driving continues to pose a significant public health risk, with incidents increasing among women. Building on limited prior research, this study situates women's substance-impaired driving within a psychosocial and gender-responsive criminological framework to explore women's experiences with impaired driving. Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted with N = 27 women apprehended for drink or drug driving within the past 5 years in Queensland, Australia. Data were analysed using ideal-type analysis, identifying typologies based on similarities and differences across accounts. Results Four distinct typologies emerged from the analysis: (i) Inadvertent Drink Drivers, who unintentionally exceeded the general alcohol limit due to misunderstandings about alcohol metabolism and reliance on outdated consumption guidelines; (ii) Post-Apprehension Separators, who continued using substances but implemented deliberate strategies to separate substance use from driving; (iii) Drivers Engaged in Recovery, who had ceased substance use at the time of the interview; and (iv) High-Risk Offenders, who demonstrated a high likelihood of reoffending, often influenced by permissive social environments and low responsiveness to legal sanctions. Discussion and Conclusions Some women's profiles aligned with previous research where substance-impaired driving was shaped by gendered stressors, whereas others reflected characteristics more consistent with traditional male-typed profiles. Distinct intervention needs were identified across typologies, including substance use and mental health treatment, education initiatives, self-regulated separation strategies and legislative sanctions. Recognising how individual behaviour is shaped by social and structural factors is essential for designing equitable, gender-responsive interventions and supports that enhance women's capacity to avoid reoffending.

Details

Title: Understanding the Cause and Diversity of Women's Drink and Drug Driving—A Qualitative Exploration
Authors: Kerry Armstrong (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast
Hanna Watling - University of the Sunshine Coast
Taren Mieran - University of the Sunshine Coast
Jessica Marigold - University of the Sunshine Coast
Publication details: Drug and Alcohol Review, Vol.45(3), pp.1-13
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Date published: 2026
DOI: 10.1111/dar.70141
ISSN: 1465-3362
PMID: 41797219; PMC12968506
Copyright note: © 2026 The Author(s). Drug and Alcohol Review published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.
Data Availability: The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to privacy or ethical restrictions.
Grant note: This research was funded by the MAIC/UniSC Road Safety Research Collaboration Grant. The Motor Accident Insurance Commission provided funding to the University of the Sunshine Coast to support the MAIC/UniSC Road Safety Research Collaboration to conduct research activities that aim to reduce the incidence of motor vehicle crashes.
Organisation Unit: Road Safety Research Collaboration; School of Law and Society
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991213180802621
Output Type: Journal article

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