R01AA029112

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

Over 10,000 people die in alcohol-involved motor vehicle crashes per year in the US. Most available evidence identifies that access to ridesharing is associated with fewer alcohol-involved motor vehicle crashes. Providing access to subsidized rideshare trips could be a high impact intervention to reduce crash incidence and save lives. Some municipalities have begun implementing this strategy.

Theoretically, access to subsidized ridesharing will replace trips by prospective impaired drivers by altering the financial and convenience costs of taking alternative forms of transit compared to driving while impaired. The strength of this association will differ according to an individual's income and local access to public transit. However, access to subsidized ridesharing may produce concomitant increases in alcohol consumption because greater mobility makes it cheaper and easier for consumers to obtain and consume alcohol. Few studies have tested these hypotheses, and there is no evidence from experimental studies.

The broad objective of this two-arm single-blinded randomized controlled trial is to test the effects of access to subsidized ridesharing on drunk driving and alcohol consumption. We will recruit 160 individuals through digital social media advertisements from a stratified sample of 50 US cities (N = 8,000), including 25 cities with high access to public transit (as measured using the Transit Score) and 25 cities with low access to public transit. Participants will (i) reside in a selected city, (ii) be aged = 21 years, (iii) have a driver's license and access to a motor vehicle, (iv) report consuming alcohol at a bar in the last 7 days, (v) own a smartphone, and (vi) speak English.

We will randomize participants to receiving a $35 ridesharing voucher (the intervention group) or a $35 online shopping voucher (the control group). We will follow participants for one week pre-intervention and one week post-intervention using weekly surveys. A sub-sample of 2,000 participants will download a custom mobile application and will be tracked using GPS for the two-week study period.

The specific aims are 1) to test whether access to subsidized ridesharing reduces individuals' risks for drunk driving, 2) to test whether access to subsidized ridesharing affects individuals' alcohol consumption, and 3) to test whether access to ridesharing affects individuals' mobility, including access to retail alcohol outlets. We will assess moderation by individuals' income and by the Transit Score for their city of residence.

The results of this study will fill important gaps in scientific evidence regarding a disruptive technology with strong potential to be harnessed as a preventive intervention to reduce alcohol-involved motor vehicle crashes and improve public health. The work will inform the design of interventions that use subsidized ridesharing to reduce alcohol-involved motor vehicle crashes - including by identifying the individuals who will benefit most substantially, the locations where impacts will be greatest, and the unintended effects on alcohol consumption - and the mechanism by which the intervention achieves these outcomes (i.e. by altering individuals' mobility and exposure to alcohol outlets).

The Trustees Of Columbia University In The City Of New York

TO DEVELOP A SOUND FUNDAMENTAL KNOWLEDGE BASE WHICH CAN BE APPLIED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF IMPROVED METHODS OF TREATMENT AND MORE EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES FOR PREVENTING ALCOHOLISM AND ALCOHOL-RELATED PROBLEMS. THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON ALCOHOL ABUSE AND ALCOHOLISM (NIAAA) SUPPORTS RESEARCH IN A BROAD RANGE OF DISCIPLINES AND SUBJECT AREAS RELATED TO BIOMEDICAL AND GENETIC FACTORS, PSYCHOLOGICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS, ALCOHOL-RELATED PROBLEMS AND MEDICAL DISORDERS, HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH, AND PREVENTION AND TREATMENT RESEARCH. SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH (SBIR) PROGRAM: TO INCREASE PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIALIZATION OF INNOVATIONS DERIVED FROM FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, TO INCREASE SMALL BUSINESS PARTICIPATION IN FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, AND TO FOSTER AND ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION OF SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS IN TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION. SMALL BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER (STTR) PROGRAM: TO STIMULATE AND FOSTER SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER THROUGH COOPERATIVE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CARRIED OUT BETWEEN SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS, TO INCREASE PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIALIZATION OF INNOVATIONS DERIVED FROM FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, AND TO FOSTER AND ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION OF SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS IN TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION.

93.273 - Alcohol Research Programs

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) [HHS - NIH]

New York, New York 100323727 United States

Single Zip Code

Research Project Grant (Parent R01 Clinical Trial Required) (PA-20-183)

Amendment Since initial award the total obligations have increased 347% from $688,129 to $3,072,894.