DRIVE-UP LIQUOR WINDOWS AND CONVICTED DRUNK DRIVERS - A COMPARATIVE-ANALYSIS OF PLACE OF PURCHASE

This study examined alcohol purchase locations of convicted drunk driv ers to determine the characteristics and arrest circumstances of offen ders who bought alcohol at a drive-up liquor window compared with thos e who obtained alcohol elsewhere: Logistic regression analyses were us ed to assess the relationship between purchase location and the charac teristics of 2,544 drunk drivers convicted in Santa Fe, NM, from 1986 to 1995. Analyses were performed to determine whether the place of pur chase was related to arrest circumstances. The results revealed that d rive-up windows were the preferred place of purchase of package liquor by offenders who bought the alcohol that they drank prior to arrest. The odds of being Hispanic (p<0.0001), a high-risk problem drinker (p< 0.01), and drinking in the vehicle prior to arrest (p<0.01) were signi ficantly higher for drive-up window users than for offenders who purch ased package liquor elsewhere. Based on these analyses, this study con cludes that a statistically significant relationship exists between th e use of drive-up windows and certain high-risk drinking behaviors. Th is increased use among vulnerable populations suggests that drive-up w indows may facilitate alcohol misuse in these populations and thereby contribute to drunk driving. Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved .