Drunken driving and informal social control: The case of peer intervention

Driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) on the nation's streets and highways is a common occurrence in spite of the threat of severe formal sanctions (cf., Ross, 1973, 1984a, & 1984b). The research presented here reports on the impact of informal peer sanctions in potential drunken driving situations. Data were collected by means of self-administered questionnaires. Respondents were asked if they had attempted to intervene to prevent the possibility of drunken driving. Eighty-three percent reported that they had attempted to intervene, and a sizable majority (81%) of these attempts were successful. Respondents were also asked to identify who was intervened upon (i.e., the intervenee), where that intervention attempt took place, what technique(s) of intervention was used and whether the attempt resulted in successfully preventing an incident of drunken driving. Respondents were most likely to intervene in situations involving their friends, and most reported interventions occurred at parties, bars, or nightclubs, in contrast to home or work. Finally, the most successful techniques of intervention were those that were direct and assertive.