This 1981-1983 study included respondents from 26 States. It showed that drinking and driving is a common event and concluded that young drivers and men are considerably overrepresented in populations of drivers who drink. Drinking and driving has been associated with other risk behaviors, including cigarette smoking and failure to wear seatbelts, which puts this group at even greater risk. Alcohol related crashes may be decreased by public health interventions, and legal interventions appear beneficial in decreasing alcohol related motor vehicle crashes. Education is needed to inform those drivers at greatest risk of the dangers of alcohol to develop a new social norm in which drinking and driving is no longer considered a socially-acceptable practice. 4 figures, 5 tables, 22 references.