Attitudes and behaviour towards drink driving amongst a sample of university students

Abstract

Drink driving is a major health concern in many countries and is found to be more acute among younger individuals. The current study aimed to address drink driving and associated attitudes and knowledge among a sample of university students. A questionnaire assessing knowledge, attitudes and behaviour of students towards drink driving was administered to 366 students at the University of Malta. The results illustrated that 41% of students reported having engaged in drink driving at least once in their life, with almost 37% of students having done so within the previous 12 months. Additionally, drink driving was also found to be more prevalent among males, with almost 44% reporting drink driving on at least one occasion within the previous 12 months. Furthermore, drink drivers were more likely to be between the ages of 21-25 years. Despite the widespread belief among students that drink driving was wrong and likely to result in an accident, a significant proportion of students still engaged in this behaviour. Students who engaged in recent drink driving were more likely to have weaker attitudes towards these behaviours. Knowledge of the legal BAC level was low amongst students, with 77% unable to indicate the current legal limit in Malta.