A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Florida (UF) shows that “designated drivers” are generally chosen by selecting the “least drunk” individual, and that 35% of the designated driver tested for the study had consumed alcohol.
The study included breath testing of more than 1,000 “party-goers” at a bar in a “major university town in the Southeast” (presumably the Gainesville area, where the University of Florida is based). Researchers asked for volunteers, between 10 pm and 2:30 am, who were leaving a bar to participate in the testing. All identified themselves as the chosen designated drivers. The majority were white, male college students with an average age of 28.
The results, published in the July issue of The Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, were surprising:
- 1 in 3 (35%) of designated drivers had consumed alcohol
- Of those, 1/2 recorded a BAC of 0.05 or higher
Adam Barry, an assistant professor of health education and behavior at UF and the lead researcher, says that oftentimes, a designated driver is chosen based on who is the least drunk, or who has successfully driven intoxicated in the past. He also says that it’s difficult for people to accurately evaluate their own level of intoxication. “That’s the insidious nature of alcohol—when you feel buzzed, you’re drunk,” he says.
Last month the National Transportation Safety Board recommended that all 50 states lower the maximum BAC from 0.08 to 0.05. The U.S., along with the U.K., has one of the highest allowable legal limits in the world.
The concept of a “designated driver” was developed in Scandinavia in the 1920s, but was launched as a large-scale campaign in 1988 through the Harvard Alcohol Project. Television networks and Hollywood studios backed the campaign and popularized the idea through Public Service Announcements (PSAs) and by incorporating the messaging into popular TV programs. President Bill Clinton taped PSAs for the campaign throughout his 8 year presidency, and it’s widely believed that the campaign is a major contributor to the decline in alcohol-related traffic fatalities between 1988 and 1994.
Do you think this study is representative of all designated drivers? Or does the age of the participants, who were predominantly college students, skew the results?
Really interesting article, thank you for writing about the study. Drunk driving is such a huge issue. I run an anti-drunk driving campaign called Stop Drunk Driving Now. We use musical collaboration with artists like Becca Levy to spread the message about drunk driving. Check out my blog if you’re interested!
Well this is certainly surprising. And a little frightening. Designated drivers are supposed to stay sober to keep everybody else in the car, and the road, safe. Most people do think that feeling a little buzz is not the same as being drunk, though…
I would never be a designated driver again…all their money goes to alcohol not to gas for the car and then there is the obstinate drunk who feels they have a slave… a designated driver…they can call 7 days a week to find out what you are doing
Meh. 1/2 had a BAC of 0.05%? So what. It’s well below the legal limit.