How will the introduction of autonomous vehicles affect alcohol consumption patterns and associated levels of chronic disease across the Australian population?

Description

The literature is currently unclear about whether there will be an increase in alcohol consumption after the introduction of AV technology, although early literature indicates a trend toward increased alcohol consumption within a younger male generation who hold more positive attitudes toward engaging with AV technology, and may be prone to bouts of binge drinking. Given proposed plans for abolishing a legal BAC requirement for AV users, it is important to investigate whether these plans will facilitate increased alcohol consumption which may cause harm to human health. This project aims to address this evidence gap.
HYPOTHESIS
Policies that abolish a legal BAC among AV users will facilitate an increase alcohol consumption, which will have adverse population-level health outcomes that will outweigh benefits of reduced injury and death caused by drink-driving.
METHODOLOGY
This project will follow a multidisciplinary approach to investigate the relationships between alcohol consumption

Period	1 Apr 2022 → 31 Dec 2024
Work for	University of Melbourne, Australia, Victoria