Are women drunk drivers different from men?
A report just released by our client, Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF), for The Century Council points to some troubling trends among North American women who drive after drinking too much. While men still do most of the drunk driving, the number of women arrested is on the rise.
Why is this happening, despite the best efforts of law enforcement and social marketers for decades? In its other research, TIRF has studied the underlying factors influencing people’s decisions to drive under the influence. Many are chronic abusers of alcohol who require treatment and support as well as legal intervention. But while the system is evolving to be less punitive and more solution-oriented, the TIRF report shows that women are falling through the cracks.
To help make the report’s findings more accessible to a general audience, Acart developed an infographic based on some of the report’s most surprising and troubling discoveries:
What can be done? TIRF’s President and CEO, Robyn Robertson, believes that research like this is a key first step:
“Most of the available research on impaired driving is based upon studies involving men. Not much is known about female drunk drivers today, and for this reason TIRF believes it is important to increase our knowledge about the experiences of these women. This research can help to begin to inform the development of effective interventions that address the risks and needs of female offenders and that provide insight into better prevention strategies.”
Since the report was released last month, its findings have been picked up and reported by TIME, the Chicago Tribune, the LA Times, CBS Los Angeles, Gawker and others.
As always, we’re proud to help TIRF champion evidence-based strategies to address the human factors that contribute to injuries and deaths on the roads.
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