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Every year Frederick Douglass High School
seniors take part in the nationwide program against
drunk driving called Prom Promise. We at
Douglass are hope that every senior signs the Prom Promise and
keeps the promise so that we can have a safe Prom/Graduation
season. Here are some statistics on drunk driving to further
persuade not only students but everyone who drives to avoid drunk
driving.
Drunk Driving Statistics
Here's an eye-opening list of statistics on drunk driving for
2000.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) defines
a fatal traffic crash as being alcohol-related if either a
driver or a nonoccupant (e.g., pedestrian) had a blood alcohol
concentration (BAC) of 0.01 grams per deciliter (g/dl) or greater
in a police-reported traffic crash.(1)
Persons with a BAC of 0.10 g/dl or greater involved in fatal
crashes are considered to be intoxicated. This is the legal
limit of intoxication in most states.(1)
Statistics continue to show that alcohol involvement (drunk
driving) remains the leading factor in motor vehicle
deaths.(1)
Traffic fatalities in alcohol-related crashes rose by 4%
from 1999 to 2000. The 16,653 alcohol-related fatalities in 2000
(40% of total traffic deaths for the year) represent a 25%
reduction from 22,084 alcohol-related deaths reported in 1990 (50%
of the total).(1)
NHTSA estimates that alcohol was involved in 40% of fatal
crashes and in 8% of all crashes in 2000.(1)
16,653 fatalities in alcohol-related crashes during 2000
represent an average of one alcohol-related fatality every 32
minutes.(1)
An estimated 310,000 persons were injured in crashes where
police reported that alcohol was present — an average of one
person injured approximately every 2 minutes.
Drunk driving statistics show that about 3 in every 10
Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash at some
time in their lives.(1)
Approximately 43 of our fellow citizens are lost each
day, 305 each week, and 1309 each month because of
alcohol-related accidents. That's one life lost every 33
minutes.(1)
Only 7% of all crashes involve alcohol use, but nearly 39%
of fatal crashes do.(1)
Traffic crashes are this country's greatest single cause
of death for every age from 6 through 33. Almost
half of these fatalities are related to drunk driving.(1)
Male drivers, drivers in the 21-34 age group, and
drivers who are of the "white" race constitute
the largest percentage of drunk (or impaired) drivers in fatal
crashes.(1)
In 2000, 31% of all traffic fatalities occurred in crashes in
which at least one driver or nonoccupant had a BAC of 0.10 g/dl or
greater (legally drunk). 69% of the 12,892 people killed in such
crashes were themselves drunk. The remaining 31% were passengers,
nonintoxicated drivers, or nonintoxicated nonoccupants.(1)
In 2000, 30% of all fatal crashes during the week were alcohol
related, compared to 53 percent on weekends. For all crashes, the
alcohol involvement rate was 6% during the week and 14% on
weekends.(1)
Drunk driving rates for fatal crashes in 2000 were highest for motorcycle
operators (27%) and lowest for drivers of large trucks (1%).
The intoxication rate for drivers of light trucks was higher than
that for passenger car drivers (20% and 19%, respectively).(1)
Alcohol involvement in fatal crashes is more than 3 times as
high at night as during the day (61% vs. 18%). For all crashes,
the alcohol involvement rate is more than 4 times as high at night
(17% vs. 4%).(1)
The highest rates of drunk driving in fatal crashes in 2000
were recorded for drivers 21-24 years old (27%), followed by ages
25-34 (24%) and 35-44 (22%).(1)
Fatally injured drunk drivers (BAC levels of 0.10 g/dl or
greater) were 6 times as likely to have a prior conviction for
driving while intoxicated compared to fatally injured sober
drivers (12% and 2%, respectively).(1)
Almost one-third (33%) of all pedestrians 16 years of
age or older killed in traffic crashes in 2000 were intoxicated.
By age group, statistics show a range of 9% for pedestrians 65 and
over to a high of 49% for those 25 to 34 years old.(1)
All states and the District of Columbia now have
21-year-old minimum drinking age laws. NHTSA estimates that these
laws have reduced traffic fatalities involving drivers 18 to 20
years old by 13% and have saved an estimated 20,043 lives since
1975. In 2000, an estimated 922 lives were saved by minimum
drinking age laws.(1)
More than 2,300 anti-drunk driving laws have been passed
since 1980.(1)
More drunk driving statistics: Alcohol-related traffic
fatalities by state in 2000:
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Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
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399
53
456
200
1,401
256
158
60
19
1,191
570
54
114
614
270
124
154
256
447
51
225
218
506
255
379
511
110
103
145
49
319
205
419
523
41
516
221
188
618
41
422
81
511
1,898
89
31
341
275
175
345
45
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U.S. Total
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16,653 |
Information courtesy of Alcoholalert.com
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