FACTORS RELATED TO MILES DRIVEN BETWEEN DRINKING AND ARREST LOCATIONSAMONG CONVICTED DRUNK DRIVERS

The objectives of the study were to estimate the distance driven betwe en drinking and arrest locations among 3,107 offenders convicted of dr iving while impaired and to determine whether the drinking location, t he driver's appearance (factors such as race, age, gender), or age of the vehicle account for any differences in the estimated distance driv en. Statistical models were used to determine odds ratios for being ar rested in the immediate vicinity of the drinking location, and for mil es driven impaired. The independent sociodemographic and arrest variab les included: age, gender, ethnicity/race, vehicle age, drinking locat ion, whether the arrest followed a crash, time of arrest, blood alcoho l concentration, and drinking in areas with varying levels of arrest i ntensity. The variables associated with arrest in the immediate vicini ty of the drinking location (less than one half mile) were drinking in high or medium-high arrest intensity areas, Hispanic/Mexican ethnicit y/nationality, Native American race, and drinking at home. Among those who were not arrested in the immediate vicinity, the number of miles driven ranged from 0.5 to 18.2, with a mean of 3.4 miles (median=2.6). Analysis of covariance demonstrated that among those arrested outside the immediate vicinity of their drinking locations, persons who drank in a high or medium-high arrest intensity area, those with blood alco hol concentrations of greater than or equal to 200 mg/l and those drin king at bars, restaurants, or private parties, drove fewer miles compa red to other offenders. Our findings are mixed regarding ethnicity/rac e. Traits such as age, gender, and vehicle age are unrelated to how fa r drunk drivers travel before their arrests. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.