Until now, most crash analysis and countermeasure development have looked at the United States population as a whole, without regard to specific circumstances of racial and ethnic minorities. In 1994, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) sponsored a study to develop an accurate picture of the involvement of various cultural populations in alcohol-related pedestrian crashes. The study examined racial and ethnic patterns of involvement in fatal crashes and conducted focus group testing with members of the at-risk minority populations to study cultural barriers and determine which types of countermeasures should be used and how they should be targeted.

Racial data were obtained for all 1987 to 1989 Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) data that were linked to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention “multiple cause of death” file. Ethnic data were obtained from the data files from six states: Florida, Michigan, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, and Texas and one state subset: San Diego County in California. Analyses showed that the alcohol-impaired pedestrian problem extends beyond that found for Anglo-Americans to include African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans, but not Asian and Pacific Islanders.

Members of these 3 ethnic groups participated in 14 focus groups to explore cultural conditions that might help to reduce pedestrian fatalities. These groups were recruited in two areas at opposite ends of the country to increase representation. When possible, participants were selected from the groups most at risk, health care professionals who work with at-risk individuals, and individuals who were knowledgeable about their communities and the role of alcohol. Among other topics, participants were asked about their own group’s drinking patterns and their knowledge of the risk of dying as an alcohol-impaired pedestrian.

The African American focus group participants said that they thought the overall amount of drinking by African Americans was less than that for Anglo-Americans. They were familiar with the concept of problem drinking and described it primarily as involving older adult males who were at lower socioeconomic levels. The participants also suggested that these victims tend to drink alone for an escape and that they are part of society’s unsuccessful fringe. The focus group participants were not aware that impaired pedestrians were frequent crash victims.

These focus group participants believed that intervening activities could best be done on a community level by churches, social service organizations, schools, and African American-oriented media. They felt that the focus should be toward the general public, friends, and families rather than the alcohol-impaired pedestrians themselves. Programs like Safe Rides were viewed positively.

Heavy drinking by Hispanic males was described as an accepted part of the social fabric of the community with a very real “machismo” component that emphasizes the appearance of being able to function normally even if the person is very drunk and refuses offers of help. Hispanic women were described as drinking less and as not intervening in the men’s drinking. Hispanic focus group members in New Mexico were somewhat familiar with the risks associated with being an alcohol-impaired pedestrian.

The East Coast Hispanic focus groups felt that the best ways to address the alcohol-impaired pedestrian problem were through community organizations and Spanish-language media. More than the other groups, they said that extended families and Hispanic community groups were most likely to be accepted and successful and that non-Hispanic organizations would be ignored and ineffective. Focus group participants believed that education was important, but at-risk drinkers would be particularly difficult to reach because of the social acceptance of their drinking and the denial of any alcohol-induced loss of alertness or competence. The Hispanic focus groups in New Mexico were in overall agreement, though they placed more emphasis on lower income victims and ones with serious drinking problems. They also felt that government agencies could provide effective education.

For Native Americans, the majority of fatally injured pedestrians have very high blood alcohol concentrations (BAC). Focus group participants drew attention to the unique situations around some reservations where some residents left to obtain alcohol and then drank large quantities very quickly for the purpose of getting drunk. These impaired pedestrians then had to navigate their way back home often for long distances over poorly lighted, dangerous rural roads.

The Native American focus group participants did not condone problem drinking as socially acceptable, although individuals who were problem drinkers were tolerated and accommodated. Focus group members were able to list a number of ways that the tribes and nearby towns had attempted to minimize the risks to heavy drinkers, including traffic engineering, law enforcement patrols, tribal Safe Rides programs, and detoxification and treatment programs. While believing that the problem drinkers should become more responsible for themselves, participants singled out bars and liquor stores as enablers and appropriate targets for restrictive regulation.