Objective: College students tend to drink while serving as a designated driver (DD). The predictors of alcohol use by DDs among college students were examined.
Participants: Participants were 119 undergraduate students in introductory psychology courses who had experience with DD use.
Methods: Survey data were analyzed to examine the predictors of planning components of DD use, such as choosing a DD before drinking and choosing an abstinent DD, and the relations of these components to alcohol use by DDs.
Results: History of DD use, friends' willingness to be the DD, frequency of riding with a driver who drank and drove, and age of drinking onset were associated with planning components of DD use. Among the planning components of DD use, choosing a DD before drinking was significantly related to less alcohol use by DDs.
Conclusions: Increasing awareness of the planning components of DD use could deter alcohol use by DDs among college students.