Prevalence and factors associated with driving under the influence of alcohol in Brazil

Abstract

Objectives

To estimate the prevalence and factors associated with Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol (DUIA) among car drivers and motorcyclists in Brazil and to evaluate the association between DUIA and self-reported Road Traffic Injuries (RTIs) in these groups.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted using data from adults aged 18 or older who participated in the 2019 National Health Survey. Probability sampling was used to recruit participants, and data collection was carried out through home visits. Data from 31,246 car drivers and 21,896 motorcyclists were analyzed. Key indicators included the proportion (%) of car drivers who consumed alcohol and then drove in the past 12 months and the proportion (%) of motorcyclists who consumed alcohol and then drove in the past 12 months. Multiple Poisson regression was used to determine factors associated with DUIA and the association of this variable with RTIs in both groups.

Results

DUIA prevalence was 9.4% (95% Confidence Interval [95% CI] = 8.8–10.0) among car drivers and 11.2% (95% CI = 10.4–12.1) among motorcyclists. Among car drivers, DUIA prevalence was higher in men, young adults, those without a spouse/partner, and lower in individuals with lower income and education level. Among motorcyclists, DUIA prevalence was higher in men, young adults, those living outside the capitals and metropolitan regions, and lower in individuals with lower income. DUIA increased the prevalence of self-reported RTIs in the previous 12 months among car drivers and motorcyclists.

Conclusions

A high prevalence of DUIA was evident among drivers, particularly motorcyclists. The DUIA was more prevalent among men and young adults. The DUIA was associated with an increased magnitude of self-reported RTIs among car drivers and motorcyclists. Despite the extensive legislation for zero tolerance toward DUIA in the country, actions need stricter enforcement.

Keywords:

• Prevalence
• automobile driving
• alcohol drinking
• driving under the influence
• traffic accidents
• health surveys

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior – CAPES under protocol [no. 88887.688542/2022-00].