REEXAMINING PERSONAL AND SITUATIONAL FACTORS IN DRUNK DRIVING INTERVENTIONS

Informal peer intervention may be an effective means of combating drun k driving. Prior research finds that: (a) An experimental model of dec ision making in bystander intervention situations can successfully be applied to drunk driving intervention (DUI intervention); and (b) vari ous personal and situational factors influence a person's decision to intervene. Our research examines questionnaire data and finds support, with some modification, for application of the experimental model to DUI intervention. We also find that a person's self-evaluation as a co mpetent helper is often the most important factor in determining wheth er or not they intervene. This suggests that empowering persons as int erveners may be an effective means of decreasing drunk driving.