Understanding young and older male drivers' willingness to drive while intoxicated: The predictive utility of constructs specified by the theory of planned behaviour and the prototype willingness model

Objective. The present study examined the predictive utility of constructs specified by the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) and prototype willingness model (PWM) for young and older male drivers' willingness to drive while intoxicated. Design and methods. A cross-sectional questionnaire was employed. Two hundred male drivers, recruited via a street survey, voluntarily completed measures of attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioural control, prototype perceptions, and willingness. Results. Findings showed that the TPB and PWM variables explained 65% of the variance in young male drivers' willingness and 47% of the variance in older male drivers' willingness, with the interaction between prototype favourability and similarity contributing 7% to the variance explained in older males' willingness to drive while intoxicated. Conclusions. The findings possess implications for theory, research, and anti-drink driving campaigns. © 2010 The British Psychological Society.