Impacts of Subsidized Ridesharing on Drunk Driving, Alcohol Consumption, and Mobility

Columbia University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Driving Drunk; Alcohol Drinking

Treatments: Behavioral: online shopping voucher; Behavioral: ridesharing voucher

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; NIH

Identifiers

NCT04949711

AAAT0912

1R01AA029112-01 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this research study is to understand people's alcohol use in public places and their risks for harm. The overall goal of this study is to test the effects of subsidized ridesharing as an intervention to reduce self-reported alcohol-impaired driving, along with alcohol consumption and changes to mobility.

Full description

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for people aged 13-25 years in the US, and approximately 31% of all fatal crashes involved some alcohol use. Several peer-reviewed studies have found that ridesharing was associated with fewer alcohol-involved crashes and DUI arrests. Theories of behavioral economics provide a clear theoretical mechanism by which ridesharing will reduce alcohol-involved motor vehicle crashes compared to other private transportation. However, while ridesharing may be an effective intervention to reduce alcohol-involved crashes, it may simultaneously increase alcohol consumption. This study will assess the impacts of subsidized ridesharing on impaired driving, alcohol consumption, and mobility. Participants will be randomized to either receive a rideshare voucher or an online shopping voucher, and effects on alcohol impaired driving and alcohol consumption will be measured. A GPS sub-group will use a custom smartphone application for GPS tracking to measure mobility.

Enrollment: 7,034 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 21+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• ≥ 21 years old
• Reside in a study city
• Have a driver's license
• Have access to a motor vehicle
• Have consumed alcohol in a bar in the last 30 days
• Own a smartphone
• Read English

Exclusion criteria

• Non-English speaking participants

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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7,034 participants in 2 patient groups

Intervention

Experimental group

Description:

Participants will be asked to complete 3 surveys over 2 weeks to collect in information on their alcohol use and about themselves, and receive ridesharing vouchers.

Treatment:

Behavioral: ridesharing voucher

Control

Sham Comparator group

Description:

Participants will be asked to complete 3 surveys over 2 weeks to collect in information on their alcohol use and about themselves, and receive online shopping voucher.

Treatment:

Behavioral: online shopping voucher