Kristin Thomas, an English literature senior, said she's had several friends killed in drunk driving accidents, so she always uses a designated driver.
"I had a lot of friends in high school who were involved in drunk driving accidents, and some were even killed," Thomas said, "I would rather be the designated driver for my friends than drink, I want to make sure my friends get home safely."
There aren't as many people like Thomas as there were two years ago though, according to the American College Health Association National College Health Assessment for ASU.
In a survey conducted in spring 2002, 68 percent of 1,149 ASU students said they used a designated driver when at a party or going out to bars.
That number is down 5 percent from 2000, said Karen Moses, director of ASU Health Promotion and proctor of the survey for ASU.
John Venglass, a mathematics sophomore, said if he were not the designated driver for his friends, most of them wouldn't use one.
"I'm always the designated driver so my friends don't kill themselves or get arrested," he said. "I think if I wasn't around, maybe half of them would use a designated driver."
Moses said declining use of designated drivers is only one element of irresponsible drinking behavior that she believes is on the rise.
"This drop in using a designated driver isn't surprising," she said. "More irresponsible drinking equates more irresponsible behavior."
Risky behavior while drinking, Moses added, leaves students in other jeopardizing situations. The survey also revealed that 25 percent of students in spring 2002 who consumed alcoholic beverages also had unprotected sex.
"This has gone up from the last time this test was conducted," Moses said. In spring 2000, only 16 percent of students said reported having unprotected sex while intoxicated.
She added that in colleges across the country, there is a change in students' drinking habits.
"We are seeing this shift in college students and their drinking," Moses said. "It's not just ASU students, but true at most other colleges."
Reach the reporter at susan.padilla@asu.edu.
