Characteristics associated with alcohol and cannabis-related impaired risky driving and riding behaviors among adolescents

OBJECTIVE: Adolescents who are learning to drive are in a pivotal developmental period during which the risk of engaging in substance use, driving under the influence (DUI), and riding with an impaired driver (RWID) are amplified. We examined the extent to which alcohol and/or cannabis use, peer and parent influences, resistance self-efficacy, and individual perceived driving risks were associated with RWID and future willingness to DUI/RWID among adolescents enrolled in a Colorado driver education program. METHODS: = 0.35) years of age. We used logistic regression models to investigate the association between behavioral/attitudinal risk factors and self-reported risky driving behaviors. RESULTS: One-quarter of participants reported consuming alcohol (25.5%), 5.6% cannabis, and 3.1% alcohol and cannabis simultaneously in the past three months, with 22.0% reporting RWID with alcohol and/or cannabis and 3.6% endorsing DUI in their lifetime. Adolescents who perceived driving under the influence of cannabis (DUIC) or alcohol (DUIA) as less risky were significantly more likely to endorse RWID. CONCLUSIONS: The study reveals that individual perceived attitudes are associated with risky driving among young people learning to drive and highlights ideas for early prevention during this developmental milestone. Driver education programs provide an existing platform which can address both risk perceptions of impaired driving behaviors and cannabis-related permissive attitudes.