Does experience change anything? Attitudes of paramedic students regarding drinking and driving

Purpose: The current study examined attitudes and behavior of first degree emergency medical technician (paramedic) students at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel toward DUI (driving under the influence). Methods: Students were asked to complete an anonymous, self-administered, multiple-choice questionnaire and a demographic questionnaire. Results: We found that 42% of respondents (n = 59) had driven after drinking, and 56% of them had driven after more than one drink in the past year. Furthermore, 70% of the students had been designated drivers in the past year, 31% of whom had drunk-driven. No significant difference was found between past volunteers at MDA* and those who did not volunteer regarding the number of DUI events or the amount of alcohol consumed, but those who did volunteer drank more when engaging in DUI. Conclusion: Our findings are worrisome and may reveal the strength of social norms for consumption of alcohol on one hand and the lack of suitable education regarding the dangers of alcohol in the health care department on the other hand.