In Puerto Rico, the arrest rate for DUI was almost two times higher than the arrest rate in the U.S. In the same year, with a population of 100,000/406.4. Data for the year 2012, the last available year for Puerto Rico, shows the high rate of arrests.
On the other hand, in the United States, specifically on the mainland, individuals must be 21 years old to legally consume alcohol, and for drivers aged 18-20, their blood alcohol concentration (BAC) must be at zero. To provide an example, the legal drinking age in Puerto Rico is 18, and individuals aged 18-20 must have a BAC lower than .02 g/dL. While there are some similarities between DUI-related laws in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Mainland, there are also differences. These rates are influenced by the existing DUI laws, the level of enforcement by the police, and the drinking and driving behavior within the population. However, arrest rates do not serve as ideal indicators of DUI rates within a population.
It appears that there has been little attention from the federal U.S. Government regarding the effects of substance use on the island of Puerto Rico, as evidenced by the lack of participation in national surveys conducted by the CDC’s BRFSS System and the NIAAA’s NESARC Study. Additionally, the lack of updated information on DUI rates in Puerto Rico is both unfortunate and surprising, given the importance of DUI as a public health problem.
Selected alcohol-related data for individuals who reported driving under the influence (DUI) were analyzed and compared to those who did not report such incidents. The study identified sociodemographic and drinking-related factors associated with DUI and lifetime DUI arrests. The research also explored attitudes towards DUI as a problem and knowledge of DUI laws. Furthermore, the study examined the rates of self-reported DUI without an arrest (referred to as self-reported DUI), self-reported DUI arrest rates within the past 12 months (referred to as DUI arrest), and self-reported lifetime DUI arrest rates (referred to as lifetime DUI arrest) in San Juan, Puerto Rico. This was done to address the lack of information on DUI on the island.
In general, in Puerto Rico and specifically in San Juan, implementing more effective measures for prevention may result in a decrease in this behavior. By targeting prevention and intervention efforts related to driving under the influence (DUI) towards specific population subgroups that are at a higher risk of engaging in this behavior, it becomes easier to identify sociodemographic factors associated with DUI. The community recognizes that participating in DUI poses a significant threat to both individuals and the community as a whole, and this knowledge provides valuable information. Public officials responsible for creating policies need to determine if this issue is acknowledged as a problem and if the community is open to implementing policies that address DUI. This can be achieved by understanding the general attitudes towards DUI and assessing the community’s knowledge about this behavior. Factors such as unemployment and non-participation in the workforce act as protective measures against DUI. On the other hand, individuals who have been arrested for DUI in the past or have self-reported engaging in DUI without an arrest are more likely to have positive attitudes towards drinking, illicit drug use, lower income, more lenient drinking norms, younger age, male gender, and spend more hours driving per day. These factors are all relevant when considering the sociodemographic factors associated with DUI. Individuals who do not report engaging in DUI are expected to have lower knowledge of DUI laws compared to those who do not report DUI. Furthermore, those who do report DUI are less likely to view DUI as a problem and have limited awareness and understanding of DUI laws. The following hypotheses will be tested based on the focus of the analyses.