Serving Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and other towns of the North Carolina High Country
Founded 05-05-05
April 10, 2008 issue
Federal Grant Funds Research
On Alcohol Related Crashes
Story by Garrett Simmons
In 2007, Watauga County received federal grant funds from the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, because the county is one of the top 18 counties in North Carolina for alcohol-related crashes and fatalities.
The North Carolina Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance abuse Services dispersed the grant funds to fund a needs assessment to try to determine the reasons for the high alcohol-related accident rate.
Dr. Kurt Michael and Dr. Lisa Curtin with the Institute for Health and Human Services at ASU got the contract to conduct the research, and since fall 2007 have been gathering preexisting statistics and researching the potential causes for the high alcohol-related crash rates in the county.
They established a community advisory panel to help direct the needs assessment. The panel is composed of representatives from local law enforcement, youth networks, ASU, Watauga High School, BooneTown Council, MADD and other community groups. ASU graduate students Steven Scott and Marty Martin are also conducting research as part of the needs assessment.
Although the research is not yet completed, the results to date are not surprising. After analyzing county accident and arrest reports, taking into account blood alcohol levels, locations and times of accidents, and the demographics of the offenders, Michael and Curtin said their findings reflect those of most college towns.
“So far, statistics show the majority of alcohol-related crashes involve white men between the ages of 21 and 24. Crashes occur most often on Thursday through Saturday between 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.” they said.
However, the reasons are not as easy to identify. “This grant is unique in that research is quantitative and qualitative,” said Michael. “Part of our goal is understanding not only what the problem is, but also why it’s a problem. Why do Watauga County citizens behave in ways that lead to these high crash rates?”
To investigate, Michael and Curtin first identified seven factors that could potentially contribute to alcohol-related crashes. Because of restrictions in North Carolina, some specific to Watauga County, they ruled out factors such as the retail availability of alcohol and the promotional sale of alcohol. Scott said, “Businesses in Watauga County aren’t permitted to advertise alcohol sales or host events such as happy hour or ladies’ night. In general, legal availability is not an issue. Instead we focused on the social factors.”
They reduced the list of potential causes to the three most common to Watauga County: social availability, social norms and attitudes toward alcohol, and the perceived risk of driving while intoxicated.
To investigate these three factors, the researchers have conducted individual interviews, surveyed focus groups, and held public meetings designed to collect information and opinions directly from Watauga County citizens. Curtin explained the importance of this aspect of their research. “We’re assessing an issue that directly affects our community,” she said. “It’s important that we give citizens a chance to discuss the problem as they see it.”
At a public meeting held on March 19, Curtin said opinions were varied. “Here in Watauga County, there is still a large number of people who believe that alcohol use is dangerous at any level,” she said. “There are also those who grew up in families that used alcohol freely. Those people often have a low perception of risk associated with alcohol.”
Michael pointed out that perceived risk is an important theme when considering alcohol-related crashes. “In terms of perceived risks, there are many to consider,” he said. “People who drive under the influence either don’t think they will get caught or don’t think their behavior is dangerous.” Michael said further research is needed to determine which is more likely the case.
One focus group that was consistent in their responses was Appalachian students.
Michael and Curtin said students who admitted to binge drinking were aware of risks, but in general perceived them as very low. Students who drove to Blowing Rock to consume alcohol unanimously reported that a lack of public transportation was to blame.
In fact, of the Blowing Rock business owners interviewed as part of the research, Michael said many reported instances where customers waited more than an hour for a taxi ride back to Boone.
Michael said an official release of their results will be available before June 30. For more info, contact Dr. Kurt Michael at Michaelkd@appstate.edu or Dr. Lisa Curtin at Curtinla@appstate.edu.