Drunk Driving Statistics


by Josh Riverside - Date: 2006-12-21 - Word Count: 339 Share This!

Road accidents can be fatal and sometimes cost people their lives. Many mishaps on the road are the result of drowsy driving, distracted driving or aggressive driving. Novice drivers are also the cause of a lot of accidents. However, most road accidents are the result of drunk driving. People high on alcohol usually drive recklessly and cause many fatal accidents. Because of this, drunk driving is considered a felony in the US. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), any motor vehicle accident is considered alcohol-related if either the offender or the victim involved in the accident is determined to have had a blood alcohol concentration or BAC of .01 gram per deciliter (g/dL) or higher. The Department of Motor Vehicles maintains records and yearly statistics of all motor crashes and their respective details.

The details provided by NHTSHA during 2004, are an eye opener to the large-scale risks of drunk driving. An average of one alcohol-related crash occurred every 31 minutes in 2004. Twenty-one percent of the children killed in fatal drunk driving crashes were 14 or below. An estimated 248,000 people were injured in alcohol-related crashes -- one person injured approximately every 2 minutes. The rate of alcohol-related crashes is 3 times higher at night than during the day. The percentage of drivers involved in alcohol-related crashes was higher for males, and the drivers were between 21 and 24 years of age. BAC levels of .08 or higher were found in 27% of motorcyclists, 21% of light truck drivers and 22% of drivers of passenger cars. The percentage of drivers with the highest BAC levels was lowest for large trucks. The BAC level among most recorded was .18.

Traffic crashes continue to increase in the 15 to 20 year old age group. Most states conduct campaigns against drunk driving and have legislations implementing the minimum drinking age of 21 years old. Heavy penalties are inflicted on establishments that sell alcohol to teenagers. Various surveys continue to be conducted to find out the causes of teenage consumption of alcohol.


Related Tags: drunk driving, drunk driving lawyers, drunk driving accidents, mothers against drunk driving

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