Social Drinking and Driving: Techniques to Reduce the Risk of Impairment

摘要

The research project investigated training procedures which might be used to reduce the high incidence of alcohol-related accidents by young male drivers under moderate doses of alcohol. Five experiments tested the tolerance-inducing effect of imagining alcohol effects and mentally rehearsing a motor skill task. The research indicated this treatment may enhance alcohol tolerance, but within the constraints of an experiment, only a marginal reduction in impairment could be demonstrated. Thus a direct application of this treatment in a prevention program appeared somewhat impractical. However, additional studies suggested another possible effective and feasible technique. These experiments demonstrated that mental practice of a task only enhanced tolerance when the mental performance was associated with some desirable imaginary consequence, and thinking about this association was as effective as actual first-hand experience. By stressing the advantages of compensating for the impairing effect of alcohol, drivers could be educated to recognize that the effects of mild doses are largely under their own control, and that precautions can be both desirable and effective.