# Impaired Risk Awareness during Intoxication in Recidivist DUI Offenders

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY · 2022 · $320,000

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Alcohol-related traffic fatality and injury continue to be a major public health problem in the United States.
Driving under the influence (DUI) remains one of the most frequently repeated offenses, with over one-third of
offenders being charged with a second DUI offense within five years. Prevention programs involve motivational
interviewing and education with emphasis on increasing the offender’s perceptions of the risks associated with
alcohol use (i.e., increasing “risk awareness”). Our laboratory research has examined acute responses to
alcohol in DUI offenders and showed they display heightened impulsivity and reduced perceptions of
impairment. This suggests a lack of risk awareness in the intoxicated state, when critical decisions are made
about whether or not to drive. This 4-year R01 proposal builds on this evidence by testing the efficacy of
feedback-based training to increase DUI offenders’ perceptions of risk associated with alcohol use. DUI
offenders will undergo experiential feedback-based training in which they are administered controlled doses of
alcohol and receive structured feedback and training to accurately appraise the behavioral impairing effects of
the dose and accurately estimate their breath alcohol concentration. The research tests the hypothesis that this
training will increase risk awareness among DUI offenders during intoxication as evident by reduced
disinhibiting and risk-taking effects in response to alcohol. Our evidence for atypical reactions to alcohol among
DUI offenders truly breaks new ground and identifies promising treatment targets for new interventions to
reduce recidivism. Testing the efficacy of this experiential-based feedback approach represents a logical next
step that advances the field by building upon the basic science to date.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10491074
- **Project number:** 5R01AA028447-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY
- **Principal Investigator:** Mark T Fillmore
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $320,000
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-09-20 → 2025-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10491074

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10491074, Impaired Risk Awareness during Intoxication in Recidivist DUI Offenders (5R01AA028447-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-11 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10491074. Licensed CC0.

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