Astonishing Drunk Driving Facts
Alcohol is a hypnotic sedative and nervous system suppressive. Addiction to alcoholism has become a major social problem. Driving under influence of alcohol has become one of the common feature and cause of accidents today. As per studies carried out by NHTSA in 2006, Alcohol-related motor vehicle accidents under influence of alcohol kill someone every 31 minutes and injure someone every two minutes in US alone.
In 2005, 16,885 people died in alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes, accounting for 39% of all traffic-related deaths in the United States (NHTSA 2006).
In 2006 there were 17,941 driving fatalities related to alcohol. This was 41 percent of the total 43,000 fatalities.
An alcohol-related motor vehicle crash kills someone every 31 minutes and nonfatally injures someone every two minutes (NHTSA 2006).
Drugs other than alcohol (e.g., marijuana and cocaine) are involved in about 18% of motor vehicle driver deaths. These other drugs are generally used in combination with alcohol (Jones et al. 2003).
Each year, alcohol-related crashes in the United States cost about $51 billion (Blincoe et al. 2002).
Most drinking and driving episodes go undetected. In 2005, nearly 1.4 million drivers were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics (Department of Justice 2005). That’s less than one percent of the 159 million self-reported episodes of alcohol–impaired driving among U.S. adults each year (Quinlan et al. 2005).
Half of all holiday driving fatalities are alcohol-related.
Most people with DUIs are not alcoholics.
About 80 percent of alcohol-related fatalities are caused by beer consumption.
About two in every five Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash at some time in their lives. (NHTSA, 1996)
In 2004, 30 percent of all fatal crashes during the week were alcohol-related, compared to 51 percent on weekends. For all crashes, the alcohol involvement rate was 5 percent during the week and 12 percent during the weekend. alcohol-related crashes tend to be much more serious.
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.
Male drivers involved in fatal crashes were nearly twice as likely to have been intoxicated (21.8%) than were females (11.2%).
18-20 year olds are responsible for more than 10 percent of the drunken driving trips in America.
More than 2,300 anti-drunk driving laws have been passed since 1980.
In addition to possible jail time and fines, a DUI conviction is cause to have your insurance policy revoked and rates to skyrocket. Many people will be forced to get SR-22 insurance.
Ways to Avoid Driving Drunk:
Get a designated driver.
Drink at locations within walking distance of your home.
Call a cab.
Search for services that will take both you and your car home if you are drunk.
Look for public transportation in larger cities.
Ask the bartender for help and let him know if you are the designated driver.
Offer to pay for a cab or drive friends home if they are drunk.
Drink nonalcoholic beverages.
Life is precious. It is in our hands to curb this menace.”
By: andy taylor
About the Author:
Andy Taylor runs websites on DUI Lawyer. DUI Lawyer Guides provides free information on DUI related issues please check www.dui-lawyer-guides.com
Teen Drunk Driving
Teen drunk driving has been a growing concern for many people – especially for parents. As much as we’d like to believe that our children are innocent and will stay kids forever, the truth is, many young people are involved in illegal activities such as drinking alcohol. Although teen drivers represent a small fraction of the total driving population in the United States, teenagers do cause many of the accidents on the roadways. Consider some of these statistics: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that 23% of teenage drivers in fatal car accidents had a blood-alcohol level above the legal limit of .08. A report released by the NHTSA revealed that 50% of high school students polled have admitted to drunk driving SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions formerly Students Against Drunk Driving) says that approximately three-fourths of high school students drink alcohol illegally even though they know the possible consequences of drunk driving So, what can we do to reduce the incidences of teen drunk driving? Here are a few tips… Have open conversations with your teenager on a regular basis. Talking to your teen about drunk driving isn’t something that shouldn’t be avoided because it’s a serious and tough issue to discuss or that you think they won’t listen to you. Talk to to your teen as early as possible and create an inviting and open channel of communication so they feel comfortable talking to you about this issue. The more you talk to them about drinking and driving, the more likely that it’ll stick with them. They’ll know how much it means to you that they stay sober when they drive. Teens learn from their parents and the role models in their life, so if you set a good example and don’t drink and drive, they’ll be more conscious about doing the same. Teen drunk driving could be reduced or avoided altogether if parents were made more aware of this issue and showed concern for their teens. Most of the time parents have this dominant, „Do what I say because I said so!” attitude that makes teens just want to rebel even more. Show them the same level of respect that you expect from them and they’ll be more inclined to listen to what you have to say.
