Riding with impaired drivers among recent Latino immigrants in Southern Florida

In a previous effort we showed that compared with immigrants who are permanent residents, undocumented immigrants are more likely to binge drink, but less likely to drink while impaired (DWI) partly due to their limited amount of driving. This report examines a related risk: riding with an impaired driver (RWI). Data came from an ongoing longitudinal sample of Latino immigrants to Miami-Dade County, FL. Descriptive analyses and regression techniques were applied. While DWI rates among Latino immigrants is heavily limited by their access to a car, RWI rates were not restricted by driving limitations, nor related to participants’ legal immigration status (LIS). RWI rates were linked only to heavy drinking. Because it is not affected by driving limitations, RWI for these Latino immigrants is perhaps a more immediate risk than DWI. Addressing RWI among Latino immigrants should be a priority for traffic safety to Miami/Dade country.