An examination of young people's attitudes and norms as determinants of drink driving in adulthood

Abstract

Based on Ajzen and Madden's Theory of Planned Behaviour, this prospective study of 5000 Year 10 students examined whether young people's attitudes, norms and planning were determinants of their drink driving behaviour in adulthood. There were three waves of data collection. The first questionnaire measured attitudes, norms, planning and intentions to drink drive over the previous month. Three years later, in the second wave of data collection, a random sample of 2833 respondents were sent a questionnaire wherein they reported their drink driving behaviour for the previous month. In the third wave of data collection, drink driving offences were extracted for all respondents from official state government transport databases for the period between 1988 and 1998. Regression analyses revealed support for the theory of planned behaviour model, with each of attitudes, subjective norms and planning being signicant predictors of intentions. Intentions of these junior high school students in turn were significant predictors of drink driving behaviour in adulthood. The findings of this study provided support for the theory of planned behaviour as a model of the determinants underlying people's decisions to drink and drive.