Statistics
In 2002, 2.3% of Americans 18 and older surveyed reported alcohol-impaired driving, compared with only 2.1% in 1997.
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[References]Quinlan, Kyran P., et al. “Alcohol-Impaired Driving Among US Adults, 1993-2002.” American Journal of Preventive Medicine 28 (4) (2005): 346-350.
The average age of first alcohol use has generally decreased since 1965, indicating that youth are starting to drink at younger ages.
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[References]Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. “Alcohol Use: The NHSDA Report.” Rockville, MD: US Department of Health and Human Services, April 13, 2003. http://oas.samhsa.gov/2k5/DUI/DUI.htm
In 2006, an estimated 17,602 people died in alcohol-related traffic crashes—an average of one every 30 minutes. These deaths constitute 41 percent of the 42,642 total traffic fatalities. Of these, an estimated 13,470 involved a driver with an illegal BAC (.08 or greater). On average someone is killed by a drunk driver every 39 minutes.
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[References]National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. “2006 Traffic Safety Annual Assessment – A Preview.” DOT 810 791. Washington DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, July 2007. http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/810791.PDF
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. “Traffic Safety Facts 2006: Alcohol Impaired Driving.” DOT 810 801. Washington DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2008. http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/810801.PDF
In 2007, 62 percent of eighth graders reported that alcohol is “very easy” or “fairly easy” to get. This is down from 75 percent a decade earlier.
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About three in every ten Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash at some time in their lives.
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In 2002, surveys estimates that Americans took over 159 million alcohol-impaired driving trips, compared with only 116 million in 1997.
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[References]Quinlan, Kyran P., et al. “Alcohol-Impaired Driving Among US Adults, 1993-2002.” American Journal of Preventive Medicine 28 (4) (2005): 346-350.
By ages 19 and 20, 70 percent of all drinkers engage in heavy drinking, suggesting that the majority of young people are at great risk of making poor decisions that have significant long-term consequences.
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[References]Flewelling, R.L, M.J. Paschall, and C. Ringwalt. “The Epidemiology of Underage Drinking in the United States: An Overivew.” In press. As quoted in Institute of Medicine National Research Council of the National Academies. Bonnie, Richard J. and Mary Ellen O’Connell, eds. Reducing Underage Drinking: A Collective Responsibility. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2003.
Over 1.46 million drivers were arrested in 2006 for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics. This is an arrest rate of 1 for every 139 licensed drivers in the United States.
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[References]National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. “Traffic Safety Facts 2006: Overview.” DOT 810 809. Washington DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2008. http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/810809.PDF
In 2002, 2.3% of Americans 18 and older surveyed reported alcohol-impaired driving, including 3% of 18-20 year olds and 4.1% of 21-34 year olds.
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[References]Quinlan, Kyran P., et al. “Alcohol-Impaired Driving Among US Adults, 1993-2002.” American Journal of Preventive Medicine 28 (4) (2005): 346-350.
In 2007, 82.6 percent of tenth graders reported that alcohol is “very easy” or “fairly easy” to get. This is down from 89 percent a decade earlier.
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About 91 percent of all drinks consumed by teenagers are consumed by those who drink heavily.
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[References]Biglan, A., et al. Multiproblem Youth: Prevention, Intervention, and Treatment. New York: Guilford, 2003.
In 2001, more than half a million people were injured in crashes where police reported that alcohol was present — an average of one person injured almost every minute.
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[References]Blincoe, Lawrence, et al. “The Economic Impact of Motor Vehicle Crashes 2000.” Washington, DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2002. http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/economic/EconImpact2000/
Miller, Ted, Diane Lestina, and Rebecca Spicer. “Highway Crash Costs in the United States by Driver Age, Blood Alcohol Level, Victim Age, and Restraint Use,” Accident Analysis and Prevention, 30, no. 2 (1998): 137-150.
Of the over 159 million alcohol-impaired driving trips estimated that Americans took in 2002, over ten percent (18 million trips) were made by 18-20 year olds.
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[References]Quinlan, Kyran P., et al. “Alcohol-Impaired Driving Among US Adults, 1993-2002.” American Journal of Preventive Medicine 28 (4) (2005): 346-350.
In 2007, 92.2 percent of twelfth graders reported that alcohol is “very easy” or “fairly easy” to get.
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[References]
University of Michigan. “Monitoring the Future: Trends in Availability of Drugs as Perceived by Twelfth Graders.” 2007 http://www.monitoringthefuture.org/data/07data/pr07t13.pdf
In 2006, the rate of alcohol impairment among drivers involved in fatal crashes was four times higher at night than during the day (36% versus 9%)
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[References]National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. “Traffic Safety Facts 2006: Alcohol Impaired Driving.” DOT 810 801. Washington DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2008. http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/810801.PDF
Since 1980 (the year Mothers Against Drunk Driving was founded), alcohol-related traffic fatalities have decreased by about 44 percent, from over 30,000 to under 17,000 and MADD has helped save over 300,000 lives.
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[References]National Highway Traffic Safety Administration FARS data, 2004
Alcohol-related crashes in the United States cost the public an estimated $114.3 billion in 2000, including $51.1 billion in monetary costs and an estimated $63.2 billion in quality of life losses. People other than the drinking driver paid $71.6 billion of the alcohol-related crash bill, which is 63 percent of the total cost of these crashes.
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