Citation

Rothe PJ, Carroll LJ. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2009; 6(6): 1760-1777.

Affiliation

Centre for Health Promotion Studies and Alberta Centre for Injury Control and Research, School of Public Health, University of Alberta, 4075 RTF, 8308-114 Street, Edmonton, Alberta T6G2E1, Canada. peter.rothe@ualberta.ca

Copyright

(Copyright © 2009, MDPI: Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute)

DOI

10.3390/ijerph6061760

PMID

19578459

PMCID

PMC2705216

Abstract

This qualitative study explored the risk in the practice of young designated drivers transporting drunken peers. Young drivers 18-29 years old in Alberta, Canada participated in 12 focus groups (N = 146). Interviews were semi-structured. A key finding is that when highly intoxicated youth are driven by a designated driver who is a peer, they are likely to behave in ways that are unsafe. Unsafe actions of drunken passengers in the vehicle include physical "rough-housing" with the driver, creating stress for the driver that leads to high risk driving situations and disrupting safe driving through nausea and in-car vomiting.

Language: en