Analysis of knowledge, attitude, and behavior about alcohol between the Texas Department of Public Safety trainee-troopers and highway patrol troopers

Abstract

This study was designed: (1) to determine if the Texas Department of Public Safety trainee-trooper program had significant impact on trainee-troopers' knowledge about alcohol and attitude toward drinking drivers; and (2) to determine if highway patrol trooper experience had significant impact on highway patrol trooper knowledge about alcohol, attitude toward drinking drivers, and arrests of drinking drivers. A validated data collection instrument, "Alcohol Test Battery," an objective test designed to measure knowledge about alcohol and attitude toward drinking and driving, was administered to 95 trainee-troopers undergoing basic training at the Texas Department of Public Safety Training Academy and a group of 100 highway patrol troopers who were attending an in-service training school in Austin. The trainee-troopers were subdivided into two samples: sample A received a pretest and posttest, while sample B received only a posttest. The highway patrol troopers were subdivided into two samples: sample C contained troopers with 0-5 years of highway patrol experience, while sample D was composed of troopers with 5 or more years of experience. The data collected were tested with two statistical techniques analyzing thirteen null hypotheses. The findings were as follows: 1. Trainee-troopers who have completed the basic training school and highway patrol troopers do not have different levels of knowledge about or attitude toward alcohol. 2. The Texas Department of Public Safety Training Academy produced an improvement in the alcohol knowledge and attitude scores of trainee-troopers. 3. The pretest exposure to the measuring instrument had no posttest effect on the level of knowledge about or attitude toward alcohol of trainee-troopers. 4. Trooper experience does not affect knowledge about or attitude toward alcohol of highway patrol troopers. 5. Highway patrol trooper experience does not affect the number of DWI arrests of highway patrol troopers. 6. The number of DWI arrests is not affected by the highway patrol trooper's knowledge about alcohol.