Accident Analysis and Prevention xxx (2006) xxx–xxx Drinking and driving among high-risk young Mexican-American men Dary D. Fiorentino, Dale E. Berger * , Juan R. Ramirez 1 Psychology Department, Claremont Graduate University, 123 East Eighth Street, Claremont, CA 91711, USA Received 3 December 2005; received in revised form 19 May 2006; accepted 24 May 2006 Abstract Determinants of driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) were explored among a sample of relatively young Mexican-American males with limited income and education, high levels of alcohol consumption, and regular vehicle use. Data were collected using questionnaires (N = 104) and focus groups (N = 27), including a focus group with wives and girlfriends (N = 4). Four mechanisms that may contribute to the high rate of DUI behavior in this population were identified: (1) a subculture of permissiveness toward drinking and driving for men, (2) heavy drinking, promoted by machismo and a propensity to measure masculinity with alcohol intake, (3) inadequate knowledge of DUI statutes and inadequate understanding of the relationships between BAC, impairment, and crash risk, and (4) for undocumented drivers, lack of accountability in case of an alcohol-related incident. © 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: DUI; High-risk; Mexican-American; Hispanic; Alcohol consumption; Cultural differences 1. Introduction Hispanics in the US drive under the influence of alcohol (DUI) at higher rates than European Americans and African Americans (Voas et al., 1998), have higher rates of DUI arrests (Caetano and Clark, 2000), and experience higher alcohol- involved crash fatalities (Voas et al., 2000). Because Hispanics are a rapidly growing segment of the US population the issue has received increased research interest in recent years. Most studies to date have focused on detecting differences in drinking and drinking and driving between Hispanics and other ethnic/racial groups or within different Hispanic groups (Alaniz et al., 1999; Caetano, 1984; Caetano and Raspberry, 2000; Cahalan et al., 1969; Corbett et al., 1991; Hines and Caetano, 1998; Marin and Posner, 1995; Neff et al., 1987; Zimmerman and Sodowsky, 1993). The current study builds on that body of knowledge by identifying psychosocial mechanisms that contribute to higher rates of DUI behavior among at-risk Hispanic subgroups. There is empirical evidence that the His- panic person most likely to drive after drinking is a young male * Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 909 621 8084; fax: +1 909 621 8905. E-mail addresses: Dary.Fiorentino@gmail.com (D.D. Fiorentino), Dale.Berger@cgu.edu (D.E. Berger), JRamirez@westernu.edu (J.R. Ramirez). 1 Present address: Western University of Health Sciences, 309 East Second Street, Pomona, CA 91766-1854, USA. (Berger et al., 2000), with high alcohol consumption (Caetano and Raspberry, 2000), unemployed or underemployed, and rela- tively uneducated (Caetano and Clark, 2000). Because Mexican Americans have higher DUI rates than the average Hispanic population (Voas et al., 2000), we aimed to obtain a sample of Mexican American male drivers between the ages of 21 and 39 years, with high alcohol consumption, limited income, and limited education. Information was collected on attitudes and opinions concerning a variety of alcohol and DUI-related issues using questionnaires and focus groups. 2. Method 2.1. Participants Young Hispanic men (N = 104) were eligible to participate if they answered screening questions that they were Mexican or Mexican-American, drove a car, drank alcohol, and were between the ages of 21 and 39 years. Participants were recruited at three sites. One site was the civic center of the city of Pomona, a city of 150,000 people with a 65% Hispanic population, located about 45 km (28 miles) east of Los Angeles. The second and third recruitment sites were cen- ters where laborers congregate to obtain jobs in Pomona and in North Hollywood, a city located about 20 km (12 miles) north- west of Los Angeles. Candidates were selected on the basis of 0001-4575/$ – see front matter © 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.aap.2006.05.013 AAP-1338; No. of Pages 6