The purpose of this research study is to understand people's alcohol use in public places and their risks for harm. The overall goal of this study is to test the effects of subsidized ridesharing as an intervention to reduce self-reported alcohol-impaired driving, along with alcohol consumption and changes to mobility.
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for people aged 13-25 years in the US, and approximately 31% of all fatal crashes involved some alcohol use. Several peer-reviewed studies have found that ridesharing was associated with fewer alcohol-involved crashes and DUI arrests. Theories of behavioral economics provide a clear theoretical mechanism by which ridesharing will reduce alcohol-involved motor vehicle crashes compared to other private transportation. However, while ridesharing may be an effective intervention to reduce alcohol-involved crashes, it may simultaneously increase alcohol consumption. This study will assess the impacts of subsidized ridesharing on impaired driving, alcohol consumption, and mobility. Participants will be randomized to either receive a rideshare voucher or an online shopping voucher, and effects on alcohol impaired driving and alcohol consumption will be measured. A GPS sub-group will use a custom smartphone application for GPS tracking to measure mobility.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
7,034
Ridesharing vouchers will be given for completing each of the online surveys, for a possible total of $80 if you complete all three surveys. You will be paid with electronic vouchers that will be sent to your cell phone.
Online shopping vouchers will be given for completing each of the online surveys, for a possible total of $80 if you complete all three surveys. You will be paid with electronic vouchers that will be sent to your cell phone.
Columbia University Irving Medical Center
New York, New York, United States
Change in the alcohol impaired driving incidents
Participants will provide two self-reported measures of impaired driving by indicating whether they "drove after drinking any alcohol" (driving after drinking) and "drove after drinking too much alcohol to drive safely" (driving while intoxicated) for each day during the previous 7 days.
Time frame: Baseline, 1 week follow-up, 2 week follow-up
Change in number of days in alcohol consumption
Participants will be asked to state the number of drinks consumed on each day for the 7 previous days, and their responses will be used to calculate the frequency (defined as the number of drinking days) and the continued volume (defined as total number of drinks consumed after 1 drink on a drinking day) of drinking.
Time frame: Baseline, 1 week follow-up, 2 week follow-up
Average frequency of trips to alcohol outlets
Participants enrolled in the GPS sub-sample will be tracked and GPS records will be used measure exposure to alcohol outlets and mobility.
Time frame: Day 3 to Day 17 of study
Average duration of trips to alcohol outlets
Participants enrolled in the GPS sub-sample will be tracked and GPS records will be used measure exposure to alcohol outlets and mobility.
Time frame: Day 3 to Day 17 of study
Change in The Drinker Inventory of Consequences Score
The Drinker Inventory of Consequences is a 45-item measure of alcohol-related consequences on which higher scores reflect greater alcohol consequences. It measures harms related to alcohol consumption within 5 sub-scales: physical consequences, intrapersonal consequences, social responsibility consequences, interpersonal consequences, and impulse control consequences.
Time frame: Baseline, 1 week follow-up, 2 week follow-up
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