Alcohol involvement remains the leading factor in motor vehicle deaths.
(NHTSA, 1999)
Only 7 percent of all crashes involve alcohol use, but nearly 39 percent of
fatal crashes do. (NHTSA, 1999)
Traffic crashes are the greatest single cause of death for every age from
six through 33. Almost half of these fatalities are in alcohol-related
crashes. (NHTSA, 1999)
Approximately 18% of all drivers involved in fatal crashes in 1998 were
intoxicated at the time of their crash (21% in 1993). (NHTSA, 1999)
In single-vehicle fatal crashes occurring on weekend nights in 1998,
72.3% of the fatally injured driver's 25 years old or older were intoxicated,
as compared with 57.7% of drivers under the age of 25. (NHTSA, 1995)
In 1998, 29% of all fatal crashes during the week were alcohol-related,
compared to 52% on weekends. For all crashes, the alcohol involvement
rate was 5% during the week and 12% during the weekend. (NHTSA,
1999)
It is estimated that 2.6 million drunk driving crashes each year victimize 4
million innocent people who are injured or have their vehicles damaged.
(Miller ET al, 1996b)
In 1993, one in 100 drivers had a BAC of .10 or greater. About 16 billion
miles were driven drunk. (Miller et al, 1996c)
In fatal crashes, the proportion of drivers who were intoxicated (blood
alcohol content of .10 or greater) decreased from 25% in 1988 to 18% in
1998, a 28% decrease in that proportion. (NHTSA, 1999)
The highest intoxication rates in fatal crashes in 1996 were recorded for
driver's 21-24 years old, followed by ages 25-34 and 35-44. These three
groups have shown the smallest reductions since 1985. (NHTSA, 1999)
Male drivers involved in fatal crashes were nearly twice as likely to have
been intoxicated (21.8%) than were females (11.2%). (NHTSA, 1996)
Men are four times more likely than women to drive after drinking (Miller
et al, 1996c)
In 1995, there were 11,723 fatally injured drivers in single vehicle crashes.
About 46.7% were intoxicated. (NHTSA, 1996)
The highest intoxication rates in fatal crashes in 1998 were recorded for
drivers 21-24 years old (28%), followed by ages 25-34 (24%) and 35-44
(21%). (NHTSA, 1999)
Nearly a third of males (31%) drive after drinking in the past year,
compared with only 13% of females. (NHTSA, 1996)
Drivers age 21 to 29 drive the greatest proportion of their miles drunk
(Miller et al., 1996c)
More than 2,300 anti-drunk driving laws have been passed since 1980.
(NHTSA, 1996)
