Drink-driving in community sports clubs: Adopting the Good Sports alcohol management program

• Published in: Accident analysis and prevention Vol. 48; pp. 264 - 270
• Main Authors: Rowland, Bosco, Toumbourou, John, Allen, Felicity
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.09.2012
• Subjects: Accreditation; Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Alcohol Drinking - epidemiology; Alcohol Drinking - prevention & control; Alcohol Drinking - psychology; Alcohol-impaired driving; Automobile Driving - psychology; Automobile Driving - statistics & numerical data; BAC; Cross-Sectional Studies; Drink-driving; Female; Health Behavior; Health Promotion - methods; Health Surveys; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Multi-level harm-reduction strategies; Multi-level modelling; Risk; Risk Reduction Behavior; South Australia - epidemiology; Sports; Victoria - epidemiology; Young Adult; Victoria; South Australia; Drink-driving; Multi-level harm-reduction strategies; Multi-level modelling; BAC; Alcohol-impaired driving
• ISSN: 0001-4575; 1879-2057
• DOI: 10.1016/j.aap.2012.01.024

Throughout the developed world, community sports clubs are a high-risk setting for alcohol-impaired driving. The Good Sports program accredits community sports clubs to encourage implementation of alcohol-focussed harm-reduction and safe-transport strategies. This study tested for associations between participation in the Good Sports program and reduced rates of drink-driving amongst club members. Multilevel modelling indicated that for each season a club was in the program there was an 8% reduction in the odds of drink-driving. These findings may arise due to clubs with lower rates of alcohol use maintaining longer involvement in the program. However, the findings are also compatible with the intention of the Good Sports program to reduce the risk that club members will drive whilst alcohol impaired.