Dong-Chul Seo, PhD, MS and Mohammad Rahim Torabi, PhD, MPH. Dept. of Applied Health Science, Indiana University, HPER 116, 1025 E. 7th Street, Bloomington, IN 47405, 812-855-9379, sdongchu@indiana.edu

Purpose: Since Congress passed .08 blood alcohol concentration (BAC) as the national standard for impaired driving in October 2000, 28 U.S. States including Indiana have enacted .08 BAC law. This study investigated behavioral and perceptional changes among Indiana residents since the .08 law enforcement. Methods: Using random-digit dialing that included unpublished numbers and new listings, a representative sample of 525 adult Indiana residents ages 18 or older was interviewed. The interview was conducted by 52 professional telephone interviewers at the Center for Survey Research (CSR) in Bloomington, IN, from September 16, 2003 to October 19, 2003 after two waves of pretests. Results: Of the total respondents, 15% reported a decrease in the number of alcohol drinking occasions compared to their drinking behavior before the passage of the .08 law and 30% advocated further reduction of the legal limit of impaired driving below .08 g/dl which reflects the perception of increased safety. Even though 38% of the total respondents expressed that the BAC law should be enforced only when drinking and driving was a factor in an accident, 75% acknowledged that their driving skills got worse over a couple of drinks. Logistic regression analyses indicated that gender, education, income, and employment status were significant predictors for the majority of outcome variables whereas race/ethnicity, age, religion, and political views contributed little to the prediction. Conclusion: The enactment of .08 law appears to considerably influence people’s perceptions and behavior to the direction conducive to enhanced safety on the roads.

Learning Objectives:

• 1. Recognize significant perceptional and behavioral changes people have shown since the .08 BAC law was enforced.
• 2. Identify predictors of the perceptional and behavioral changes people have experienced after the .08 law enforcement.
• 3. Evaluate relative importance of each level of the significant predictors for the outcome variables.

Keywords: Alcohol, Policy/Policy Development

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.