Research shows young drivers more responsible about drinking and driving than their older counterparts

Young drivers aged 16 to 24 overwhelmingly agreed they would not be able to drive safely after consuming alcohol, a Road Safety Monitor poll by the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF) found.
The public opinion poll investigated a variety of drinking and driving behaviours and attitudes among youth, including riding with a drunk driver.
Of the young drivers polled, 86% said they “strongly agreed or agreed” to not being able to drive safely after consuming alcohol.
This compares to 77% of drivers older than 25 who said they would not be able to drive safely after drinking.
“The self-reported attitude towards drinking and driving appears to be reinforced by their actions,” a TIRF release says. “Only 12% of 16- to 24-year-olds surveyed admitting to driving in the last 30 days after drinking any amount of alcohol.
“This information is encouraging to researchers, as youth are generally at a higher risk of being in a collision, even when sober, than older drivers.”
In addition to being less likely to drive after drinking, young drivers are also more likely to use alternatives to driving after drinking than their older counterparts, TIRF reported.
Young drivers outranked older drivers in using alternatives such as taking a taxi (42% vs. 18%), taking public transit (40% vs. 14%), staying over at a friend’s (34% vs. 14%) or asking someone else to drive (67% vs. 48%).