Prevalence of drink-driving among adults in China: A nationally representative survey in 2010

Objective: We examined the prevalence of and characteristics associated with drink-driving in China. We compared this study's drink-driving findings with those from the United States to explore how effective traffic safety interventions from Western cultures might be adapted for use in China.

Methods: Data from the 2010 China Chronic Disease and Risk Factor Survey were analyzed to describe the prevalence and characteristics associated with drink-driving in China.

Results: Overall, 1.5% of Chinese adults reported drink-driving in the past 30 days—3% of males and 0.1% of females. However, among males who had driven a vehicle in the past 30 days and consumed at least one alcoholic beverage in the past 30 days, 19% reported drink-driving during the 30-day period. Excessive drinking, binge drinking, nonuse of seat belts, and having been injured in a road traffic crash in the past year were most strongly associated with drink-driving among males.

Conclusions: Drink-driving is prevalent among male drivers in China. Although large differences exist between China and the United States in the proportion of adults who drive, the proportion who consume alcohol, and some of the personal characteristics of those who drink and drive, similarities between the 2 countries are present in patterns of risk behaviors among drink-driving. To reduce injuries and deaths from drink-driving, effective interventions from Western cultures need to be tailored for adoption in China.