What would it take to make you stop drinking and driving?

 

 

 

The Statisics are outragous, and contiune to grow every day, every month, every year.

 

 

Drinking and Driving

 

 

In America on average, nearly 12,000 people die every year in DUI-related accidents. 900,000 are arrested each year for DUI/DWI and a full 1/3 of those are repeat offenders. 

Most drivers who have had something to drink have low blood alcohol content or concentration (BAC) and few are involved in fatal crashes. On the other hand, while only a few drivers have BACs higher than .15, a much higher proportion of those drivers have fatal crashes

The average BAC among fatally injured drinking drivers is .16 

The relative risk of death for drivers in single-vehicle crashes with a high BAC is 385 times that of a zero-BAC driver and for male drivers the risk is 707 times that of a sober driver, according to estimates by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

High BAC drivers tend to be male, aged 25-35, and have a history of DWI convictions and polydrug abuse.

 

Alcohol-related deaths in the US since 1982:

	Total fatalities	Alcohol-related fatalities
Year	Number	Number	Percent
1982	43,945	26,173	60
1983	42,589	24,635	58
1984	44,257	24,762	56
1985	43,825	23,167	53
1986	46,087	25,017	54
1987	46,390	24,094	52
1988	47,087	23,833	51
1989	45,582	22,424	49
1990	44,599	22,587	51
1991	41,508	20,159	49
1992	39,250	18,290	47
1993	40,150	17,908	45
1994	40,716	17,308	43
1995	41,817	17,732	42
1996	42,065	17,749	42
1997	42,013	16,711	40
1998	41,501	16,673	40
1999	41,717	16,572	40
2000	41,945	17,380	41
2001	42,196	17,400	41
2002	43,005	17,524	41
2003	42,643	17,013	40
2004	42,518	16,919	39
2005	43,443	16,885	39
2006	42,532	15,829	37
2007	41,059	15,387	37
2008	37,261	13,846	37

 

Drinking and driving fatalities by state in 2008 (ranked by highest number of alcohol-related* deaths):

State	Total Fatalities	Alcohol-Related Fatalities
		Number	Percent
Texas	3,382	1,463	43
California	3,434	1,198	35
Florida	2,978	1,041	35
Pennsylvania	1,468	578	39
North Carolina	1,433	500	35
Georgia	1,493	489	33
South Carolina	920	463	50
Illinois	1,043	434	42
Ohio	1,190	415	35
New York	1,231	409	33
Louisiana	912	404	44
Tennessee	1,035	386	37
Alabama	966	367	38
Virginia	824	365	44
Missouri	960	364	38
Michigan	980	331	34
Arizona	937	329	35
Mississippi	783	297	38
Oklahoma	749	274	37
Indiana	814	250	31
Wisconsin	605	250	41
Kentucky	826	226	27
Washington	521	225	43
Arkansas	600	205	34
Colorado	548	202	37
New Jersey	590	197	33
Maryland	591	186	31
Minnesota	456	161	35
Oregon	416	159	38
Kansas	385	157	41
Massachusetts	363	151	42
West Virginia	380	142	37
Nevada	324	121	37
New Mexico	366	118	32
Iowa	412	113	27
Connecticut	264	104	40
Montana	229	103	45
Idaho	232	93	40
Nebraska	208	75	36
Wyoming	159	75	47
Utah	275	55	20
New Hampshire	139	53	38
North Dakota	104	52	50
Hawaii	107	50	46
Delaware	121	49	40
Maine	155	47	30
South Dakota	119	41	34
Rhode Island	65	29	45
Alaska	62	24	38
Vermont	73	15	21
Dist of Columbia	34	13	39
National	37,261	13,846	37
Puerto Rico	399	162	41

 

The table below shows alcohol-impaired** motor vehicle fatalities in the US for 2008.

State	Total Fatalities*	BAC=.08+
	Number	Number	Percent
Texas	3,382	1,269	38
California	3,434	1,029	30
Florida	2,978	875	29
Pennsylvania	1,468	496	34
North Carolina	1,433	423	30
Georgia	1,493	416	28
South Carolina	920	403	44
Illinois	1,043	362	35
Ohio	1,190	356	30
New York	1,231	341	28
Louisiana	912	338	37
Tennessee	1,035	327	32
Alabama	966	315	33
Virginia	824	294	36
Missouri	960	310	32
Michigan	980	282	29
Arizona	937	266	28
Mississippi	783	266	34
Oklahoma	749	244	33
Indiana	814	208	26
Wisconsin	605	208	34
Kentucky	826	200	24
Washington	521	182	35
Arkansas	600	171	28
Colorado	548	173	32
New Jersey	590	154	26
Maryland	591	152	26
Minnesota	456	135	30
Oregon	416	136	33
Kansas	385	145	38
Massachusetts	363	124	34
West Virginia	380	128	34
Nevada	324	107	33
New Mexico	366	105	29
Iowa	412	89	22
Connecticut	264	86	32
Montana	229	91	40
Idaho	232	78	34
Nebraska	208	55	27
Wyoming	159	67	42
Utah	275	46	17
New Hampshire	139	45	32
North Dakota	104	47	46
Hawaii	107	42	39
Delaware	121	45	37
Maine	155	43	28
South Dakota	119	34	29
Rhode Island	65	25	38
Alaska	62	21	33
Vermont	73	12	16
Dist of Columbia	34	9	26
National	37,261	11,773	32
Puerto Rico	399	132	33

 

*According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), "A motor vehicle crash is considered to be alcohol-related if at least one driver or non-occupant (such as a pedestrian or pedalcyclist) involved in the crash is determined to have had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .01 gram per deciliter (g/dL) or higher. Thus, any fatality that occurs in an alcohol-related crash is considered an alcohol-related fatality. The term 'alcohol-related' does not indicate that a crash or fatality was caused by the presence of alcohol."

**A driver involved in a motor vehicle crash is considered alcohol-impairedif he or she exhibits a BAC of .08 or greater.

 

 

Underage Drinking

• In 2005, about 10.8 million persons ages 12-20 (28.2% of this age group) reported drinking alcohol in the past month. Nearly 7.2 million (18.8%) were binge drinkers, and 2.3 million (6.0%) were heavy drinkers. 
• Three out of every four students (75%) have consumed alcohol (more than just a few sips) by the end of high school.
• In 2005, 85.6% of youths ages 12-17 reported that they strongly or somewhat disapprove of peers having one or two drinks of an alcoholic beverage nearly every day.
  2005 SAMHSA National Survey on Drug Use and Health

Impaired Driving

• Motor vehicle crashes remain the number one cause of death among youth ages 15-20. There were 7,460 youth motor vehicle deaths in 2005. (This includes both drivers and passengers.)
• Twenty-eight percent (28%) of 15- to 20-year-old drivers who were killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2005 had been drinking.
• For young drivers (15-20 years old), alcohol involvement is higher among males than among females. In 2005, 24% of the young male drivers involved in fatal crashes had been drinking at the time of the crash, compared with 12% of the young female drivers involved in fatal crashes.
• Drivers are less likely to use seat belts when they have been drinking. In 2005, 64% of the young drivers of passenger vehicles involved in fatal crashes who had been drinking were unrestrained. Of the young drivers who had been drinking and were killed in crashes, 74% were unrestrained.
• It is estimated that 24,560 lives have been saved by minimum drinking age laws since 1975.
• In 2005, an estimated 906 lives were saved by minimum drinking age laws. 
• During the last 30 days, 28.5% of high school students nationwide had ridden one or more times in a car or other vehicle driven by someone who had been drinking alcohol.
• In 2005, 39% of fatal crashes (all age groups) involved alcohol. The rate of alcohol involvement in fatal crashes is more than three times higher at night than during the day (59% vs. 18%).
• In 2005, 30% of all fatal crashes (all age groups) during the week were alcohol-related, compared to 52% on weekends.

 

Traffic Safety

• A total of 43,200 people died on the nation’s highways in 2005. Fifty-five percent (55%) of passenger vehicle occupants who died were not wearing seat belts.
• In 2005, 3,467 15- to 20-year-old drivers were killed and an additional 281,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes.
• Persons ages 16-20 years old had the highest fatality and injury rates per 100,000 population.
• Nationwide, 10.2% of students had rarely or never worn a seat belt when riding in a car driven by someone else. Overall, the prevalence of having rarely or never worn a seat belt was higher among male (12.5%) than female (7.8%) students.
• Driver inattention is the leading factor in most crashes and near-crashes.
• Nearly 80% of crashes and 65% of near-crashes involved some form of driver inattention within three seconds before the event.
• The most common distraction for drivers is the use of cell phones. Talking or listening on a hand-held device increased the risk of a crash or near-crash 1.3 times. Dialing a hand-held device increased the risk of a crash or near-crash by almost three times. 

 

 

Since 1982, alcohol-impaired driving fatalities on our nation's roadways have decreased 44% and among persons under 21 these fatalities have decreased 71%. 

 According to the 2008 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, about 10.1 million Americans between ages 12-20 report current alcohol consumption; this represents about 26% of this age group for whom alcohol use is illegal. Among 12-20 year olds, reported rates of past month consumption, binge drinking and heavy alcohol use declined between 2002 and 2008.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration(NHTSA) 37,261 people died in traffic crashes in 2008 in the United States (latest figures available), including an estimated 11,773 people who died in alcohol-impaired driving crashes. Drunk driving fatalities accounted for 32% of all traffic deaths last year, that is, on average someone is killed in an alcohol-impaired driving crash every 45 minutes in the U.S. (Source: NHTSA/FARS, 2009)

Since NHTSA began recording alcohol-related statistics in 1982, alcohol-impaired driving fatalities have decreased 44% from 21,113 in 1982. Since the inception of The Century Council and our national efforts to fight drunk driving, alcohol-impaired driving fatalities have declined 26% from 15,827 in 1991. (Source: NHTSA/FARS, 2009)

The rate of alcohol-impaired fatalities per 100,000 population is the number of alcohol-impaired driving fatalities for every 100,000 persons in the population being measured. In 2008, about four people were killed in alcohol-impaired driving fatalities for every 100,000 Americans. Since 1998, the rate of alcohol-impaired driving fatalities in the U.S. has decreased 17%. Between 1991 and 2008, the rate of alcohol-impaired driving fatalities per 100,000 population decreased 38% nationally. (Source: NHTSA/FARS, 2009)

Since the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) began recording alcohol-related statistics in 1982, among persons under 21, the number killed in alcohol-impaired driving crashes decreased 71% from the record high of 5,215 in 1982 to a record low 1,510 in 2008. (View the Under 21 Alcohol-Impaired Driving Fatalities chart) These fatalities account for 13% of the alcohol-impaired driving fatalities in the U.S. (Source: NHTSA/FARS, 2009)

Among those under 21, about two young people are killed in alcohol-impaired driving fatalities for every 100,000 American under the age of 21. The rate of under 21 alcohol-impaired driving fatalities per 100,000 population has declined 33% over the past decade. (Source: NHTSA/FARS, 2009)

Despite declines in the number of young people involved in alcohol-impaired driving fatalities, 4 people under the age of 21 die each day in alcohol-impaired driving crashes. (Source: NHTSA/FARS, 2009)

Hardcore drunk drivers, those who drive at high BAC's (0.15 or above), do so repeatedly as demonstrated by having more than one drunk driving arrest, and are highly resistant to changing their behavior despite previous sanctions, treatment or education, continue to account for a disproportionate share of alcohol-related traffic fatalities each year. In 2008, 68% of drivers involved in alcohol-impaired driving fatalities had a a BAC level of .15 or higher – a trend that has remained relatively unchanged for more than a decade. (Source: NHTSA/FARS, 2009)  Three percent of drivers involved in fatal crashes in 2008 had a prior DWI conviction within the past three years.  Furthermore, 44% of drivers involved in a fatal crash with a prior DWI conviction in the past three years had a BAC level of 0.15 or higher. (Source: NHTSA/FARS, 2009)

The median BAC level remains twice the legal limit at 0.16, and drivers with a BAC level of .15 or higher in fatal crashes were nine times more likely to have a prior conviction for driving while impaired than drivers with no alcohol.  (Source: NHTSA, Traffic Safety Facts "Alcohol-Impaired Driving," 2008)  Compared with drivers who have not consumed alcohol, drivers with BACs of .15 or above are 380 times more likely to be involved in a single-vehicle fatal crash than a non-drinking driver. (Source: Zador, P.L. Alcohol related relative risk of fatal driver injuries in relation to driver age and sex. Journal of Studies on Alcohol 52(4):302-310, 1991.) Download and share our 2007 report, Stopping Hardcore Drunk Driving: Offenders' Perspective on Deterrence.

All of these national statistics and others are positive indicators of the gains being made to reduce, and ultimately eliminate, drunk driving, and while we cannot claim to be the sole influence in these reductions, it is likely we have played a significant role.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there were 13.2 million licensed drivers between 15 and 20 years of age in the United States in 2007 (latest available data), an increase of nearly five percent in the number of young drivers over the past 10 years. Unfortunately, motor vehicle crashes remain the leading cause of death for 15- to 20-year olds. (Source: NHTSA, Traffic Safety Facts “Young Drivers,” 2009)

In 2008, 12 percent of all drivers involved in fatal crashes were young drivers age 15 to 20 years old.  More specifically, 5,864 15- to 20-year old drivers were involved in fatal crashes, including 2,739 driver fatalities. Among 15- to 20-year old drivers involved in fatal crashes, 31% of the drivers who were killed had been drinking and 25% who were killed in crashes had a BAC of .08 or higher. Furthermore, nearly two percent of these young drivers involved in a fatal crash had a previous DWI conviction. (Source: NHTSA, Traffic Safety Facts “Young Drivers,” 2009) 

In 2010, The Century Council commissioned a study, New Drivers Safety Study: Insights from Teens and Parents

Some highlights:

Overwhelmingly, parents and teens are talking about driving safety and distractions.

• Universally, 100% of parents and 99% of teens report they have had conversations about driver safety. Similarly, the vast majority of parents (99%) and teens (98%) have had conversations about distractions while driving.
• Four out of ten teen drivers (42%) recall their parents telling them not to use their cell phone while driving more than other reminders. Not speeding, wearing a seatbelt, no texting reminders are noted by almost a quarter of parents and teens. Specifically, 22% of teens recall parental reminders of no texting, 24% recollect no speeding/racing, and 24% remember wear a seatbelt reminders.
• When reminding teen drivers about driving distractions, pull over to use phone/no cell phone use is the top message mentioned by parents (74%) and teens (71%) by a considerable margin. Nearly one-third of parents and teens also recall reminders about texting and other handheld devices like iPods.

Overall, teens and parents have similar perceptions of what is distracting and/or unsafe driving behavior. Handheld devices – cell phones, text messaging, iPods, etc. – are seen as the most distracting behavior for new drivers.

• When it comes to engaging in distracting behaviors themselves, a majority of parents (76%) and teens (54%) report they have eaten or drunk beverages while driving. Both audiences, 53% have also played loud music or sung loudly. More than half of parents (55%) have talked on the phone while driving compared to 32% of teen drivers. And nearly one in four parents and teens have received a text message alert or reminder while driving (24% and 22%, respectively).
• Teens with no restrictions on their licenses are more likely to have driven while engaging in these distracting behaviors.

Most teens and parents think they drive safely with multiple distractions.

• Half of parents believe they can do multiple things at once and still drive safely. This compares to a somewhat similar 44% of teens. A substantial percent of parents (32%) and teens (37%) report they don’t do multiple things while driving.

Majority of parents (54%) have talked on their phone while driving. Conversely, only 36% of teens said they have talked on their phone while driving in the past three months. Most teens and parents report they have not sent or read text messages in moving traffic – 80% of teens and 78% of parents report they have not engaged in this behavior.
 

Along with Drinking and Driving there are many other activites that can effect your focus on the road such as texting while driving.

 

 

Survey Methodology
The Century Council commissioned APCO Insights to conduct a quantitative survey to assess perceptions with regard to new driver habits, safety issues, and their own behaviors. APCO Insights conducted a 10-minute online survey of 750 paired interviews with teen drivers ages 15 to 18 years old and one of their parents. The survey was fielded May 18 – May 26, 2010 drawn from a nationwide panel. The margin of error for a sample this size is + 3.6 percent at the 95 percent confidence level. That is, if this survey were to be replicated 100 times, in 95 instances the results would be within four percentage points of the data reported here.

 

FLORIDA STATSTICS 

 

 

Alcohol-Impaired Driving Fatality Data 2008

Alcohol-Impaired Driving Fatalities:	875
Youth Under 21 Alcohol-Impaired Driving Fatalities:	98
Alcohol-Impaired Driving Fatalities per 100,000 population
Total All Ages:	4.8
Youth Under 21:	2.1
1998-2008 Percent Change in Alcohol-Impaired Driving Fatalities per 100,000 Population
Total All Ages:	2.1
Youth Under 21:	-19.0

Hardcore Drunk Drivers

Alcohol-Impaired Driving Fatalities Involving High BAC Drivers (.15+):	69%
Alcohol-Impaired Driving Fatalities Involving Repeat Offenders by BAC level
BAC .08 - .14:	39%
BAC .15+:	61%

Youth Alcohol Consumption Data 2006-2007 (12-20 Year Olds)

Consumed Alcohol in the Past Month:	27.6%
Binge Drinking in the Past Month:	17.9%

Arrest Data 2008

Driving Under the Influence
Under 18:	498
Total All Ages:	61,852
Liquor Laws
Under 18:	1,227
Total All Ages:	33,084
Drunkenness
Under 18:	0
Total All Ages:	0

 

In the human body, the alcohol proportion to blood is usually revealed as the blood alcohol concentration (BAC). When talking about traffic safety and its issues, BAC is showed as percentage of alcohol in deciliters of blood - for example, 0.20 percent represents 0.20 grams per deciliter. A 160-pound individual will have a BAC of approximately 0.04 percent just one hour after drinking two 12-ounce beers or two other standard drinks on an empty stomach.

In every state in the country, specific laws stipulate drinking and driving BAC limits. According to these laws, it is illegal to drive any type of vehicle while having a BAC over the specific limit. The BAC limit for drivers age 21 and older is now 0.08 for all states.

A driver's ability to split his attention between two or more sources of visual information can be impaired by a BAC of 0.02 percent or lower. But, when a BAC of 0.05 percent or more has been reached, the impairment occurs in the psychomotor performance: the driver has slower eye movements, visual perception, reaction time, and information processing. The risk of a motor vehicle crash increases as a driver's BAC increases and the more demanding the driving task, the greater the impairment caused by even low doses of alcohol.

One of the most important variables related to crash risk is, according to recent research, youthful age—teenagers. Young drivers are known to be inexperienced in driving. It is clear that when alcohol is added to the equation, the effects will only get worse. Young people have crash rates that are substantially higher than those of other groups, especially at low and moderate BAC's.

Even when alcohol is not involved, lack of experience and immaturity (specific to teen drivers) remain the main causes of motor vehicle crashes among drivers ages 16 to 20.

Some studies have concluded that drivers in this age group have a greater risk than older drivers of being involved in a fatal crash even with a BAC of 0.00 percent. The fact is, their lack of driving experience renders them less likely than more experienced drivers to cope successfully with hazardous situations. And, combined with an inclination for risky driving behavior such as speeding—along with a tendency to underestimate dangerous consequences of such behaviors and to overestimate their driving skills—contributes to the high crash rate among young drivers.

 

 

COMMON MYTHS ABOUT DRINKING AND DRIVING

Facts about drinking and driving may be lost in the excuses.

Tip: Please don’t be fooled by these myths. If you have been drinking, before you drive, use an accurate resource to be sure you really can safely drive a motor vehicle. If you’re out drinking at a bar or restaurant, a coin-operated breath analyzer is a convenient, easy way to monitor your breath alcohol level before you make a drunk driving mistake that could cost your life.

Common myths:

 

1. Coffee will wake me up enough to drive safely.

Only time will rid your body of alcohol. Caffeine in coffee will make you jittery but it cannot keep you alert and restore judgment lost to alcohol consumption.

I stay with beer and never drink the hard stuff so I’ll be fine to drive.

 

Alcohol is alcohol. A 12 oz beer has as much alcohol as a 1.5 oz whiskey or 5 oz of wine. Many people who believe this drink more beer and become more intoxicated than if they had only consumed one or two whiskeys.

Bigger people can handle their alcohol better so they can drink and still drive.

 

The first drink of alcohol begins to slow your motor skills, vision and judgment. It is true that body size does figure in the rate alcohol affects you, but you must also consider individual metabolism, the amount of rest you had and when you last ate. All of this makes for some very complex calculations regarding when you are safe to drive.

As long as I roll down the window and get some fresh air I’ll be fine. I’ll turn up the radio really loud. I’ll splash cold water on my face.

 

One more time – Alcohol is alcohol is alcohol. Time is the only way to lower your blood alcohol level. Cold wind or cold water in your face will not return your alertness, motor skills and judgment.

When I’ve been drinking, I compensate by driving very slowly.

 

Drinking and driving is not safe at any speed. In fact, even driving too slowly will make you a traffic hazard and could cause a crash.

 

There are many different organizations against drunk driving such as MADD (Mothers against drunk driving) and SADD (Students againt drunk driving)

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