A study released Tuesday by Student Health indicates that past estimates of deaths caused by drunk driving among college students are significantly overstated. The study, based on data from 2007, suggests student fatalities stemming from drunk driving represent only a fraction of statewide deaths of college students.
Dr. James C. Turner, executive director of Student Health, led a team of researchers in their three-year project, which drew data from 16 Virginia colleges and universities. Their work shows that between 1.7 and 4.3 alcohol-related motor vehicle deaths occur per 100,000 college students in Virginia, compared to previous national statistics ranging between 14.1 and 15.2 deaths. The study's rate is 89 percent lower than leading national estimates.
"If our study is accurate and reflects reality, what that tells us is that far fewer college students are dying from alcohol-related deaths than anyone ever thought before," Turner said.
The participating schools include a total of 117,000 undergraduates, or 56 percent of the state's college student population. Five traffic deaths of students from these schools were reported for the 2007 calendar year. Assuming that each of these deaths involved alcohol abuse, the calculated incident rate for Virginia college students would be 4.3 deaths per 100,000 students. Further, assuming alcohol involvement falls in line with statewide rates, which is 38.9 percent, the calculated incident rate would be lowered to 1.7 deaths per 100,000 students. Both of these mortality rates are significantly lower than previously estimated state and national rates.
Turner's published report notes that widely cited federal studies extrapolated their data from national traffic accident reports and relied on college enrollment and census data to estimate alcohol-related traffic deaths among college students nationally. These previous accounts assumed the rate of college student involvement in alcohol-related traffic fatalities was the same as the general population. Turner's study sought more reliable statistics based specifically on actual outcomes in the college population.
The team's report indicates schools should challenge long-standing assumptions on the consequences of alcohol consumption.
"If confirmed in other regions of the country, these results point to a need for careful reexamination of the actual magnitude of consequences related to alcohol misuse on college campuses and a better understanding of the potential protective factors that significantly limit alcohol-related vehicular deaths among college students," the report states.
The study includes a discussion of its limitations. The report notes researchers used a convenience sample, meaning schools were not randomly surveyed. Moreover, it is possible that non-participating schools could have had higher rates of vehicular deaths, the report states. The study did not determine whether the schools offered late-night transportation or alcohol education programming, nor did it measure the prominence of Greek organizations.
Christopher Konschak, executive director of Virginia's branch of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, said such findings should not encourage complacency on the issue of drunk driving. In 2009, 31,434 people were convicted of drunk driving in the commonwealth and there were nearly as many alcohol-related deaths as murders, he said.
"Drunk driving is still a major problem in Virginia and nationally," Konschak said. "Certainly, the statistics for Virginia show that each year we get a little better, but we are still losing 300-plus people a year in alcohol-related crashes."
Turner's study offers several potential explanations for the low number of deaths caused by drunk driving among college students compared to those of the general population. One reason is the simple layout of college campuses, particularly residential ones, where driving between places is often unnecessary. The study also states that the prevalence of alcohol education programs likely fosters better use of protective behaviors and less alcohol misuse.
"Here at the University we've been doing pretty intensive education on alcohol use for many years," Turner said. "One survey found that students admit to drinking and driving 85 percent less in 2010 than they did in 2001. So clearly, at least on our campus, students are behaving much more responsibly in the context of alcohol use."
The study is careful to note, however, that dangerous drinking is still present on college campuses all across the country. Numerous deaths result from alcohol abuse every year for reasons other than drunk driving.
Turner is currently working on a national study to see if the trend is country-wide.
"I don't think Virginia is an outlier or particularly unique," Turner said. "I think this is going to be true across the country"
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