Alcohol and risk/sensation seeking: specifying a causal model on high-risk driving.

The authors examine the driving patterns of those at high-risk of drinking-driving. A specially designed questionnaire collected data from 878 respondents in alcohol treatment and criminal justice facilities. The LISREL program is used to analyze the causal structure underlying driving behaviors and various alcohol-and nonalcohol-related factors. Findings indicate that high-risk driving associates with risk/sensation seeking attitudes: A person who is risk/sensation seeking in general tends to drive at high risk in particular. Further, while chronological age is a significant predictor of high-risk driving, early experience with alcohol intensifies risky driving through its impact on risk/sensation seeking attitudes.