[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 66 (Monday, May 19, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E952]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  A FACTSHEET ON ALCOHOL-IMPAIRED DRIVING FROM THE CENTER FOR DISEASE 
                             CONTROL [CDC]

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL BILIRAKIS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 15, 1997

  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, on May 13, 1997, I held a special order 
on the dangers of drunk driving. At the time, I submitted a factsheet 
to the Congressional Record on alcohol-impaired driving from the Center 
for Disease Control. However, the fact sheet was inadvertently left out 
of the Record. The factsheet is added here as an extension of remarks.

            Alcohol-Related Crash Deaths: General Population

       Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death in the 
     United States for persons from one to 34 years of age.
       41.3 percent of the 41,693 traffic fatalities in 1995 were 
     alcohol-related (i.e., either the driver or nonoccupant 
     (e.g., pedestrian) had a Blood Alcohol Content equal to or 
     greater than 0.01 g/dL in a police-reported crash).
       A driver with an alcohol concentration of point one-zero 
     (0.10) (the legal limit in many States) or greater is seven 
     times more likely to be involved in a fatal motor vehicle 
     crash than is a driver who has not consumed alcoholic 
     beverages. A driver with an alcohol concentration of 0.15 or 
     greater is about 25 times more likely to be involved in a 
     fatal motor crash.
       From 1982 through 1995, the number of alcohol-related 
     traffic fatalities decreased 31 percent, from 25,165 to 
     17,217.
       Fatal crashes that occur at night, on weekends, and that 
     involve only one vehicle have the highest percentage of 
     alcohol involvement.
       Men who die in motor vehicle crashes are almost two times 
     more likely than women to be legally intoxicated.
       Among drivers killed in motor vehicle crashes in 1995, the 
     highest rates of alcohol intoxication were recorded for 
     drivers 25 to 34-years of age (45.9 percent), followed by 
     drivers aged 21 to 24 years (41.7 percent) and drivers 35 to 
     44 years of age (41.3 percent).


          Alcohol-Related Crash Deaths: Youth and Young Adults

       In 1994, 29 percent of the 2,610 traffic fatalities 
     involving 15- to 17-year olds and 44 percent of the 3,616 
     traffic fatalities involving 18- to 20-year olds were 
     alcohol-related.
       Among young persons who drive after drinking alcohol, the 
     relative risk of being involved in a crash is greater for 
     young persons at all blood alcohol concentrations than it is 
     for older persons.


                  Role of Other Drugs in Crash Deaths

       Drugs other than alcohol (e.g., marijuana and cocaine) have 
     been identified in 18 percent of driver deaths. These drugs 
     are generally used in combination with alcohol.
       Most fatally injured drivers who have used drugs other than 
     alcohol are males between the ages of 25 to 54.


              Alcohol-Related Crashes: Frequency and Cost

       Approximately 40 percent of persons will be involved in an 
     alcohol-related crash during their lifetime.
       In 1990, alcohol-related crashes cost $46.1 billion, 
     including $5.1 billion in medical expenses.


Drinking and Driving: Frequency and Characteristics of Drinking Drivers

       In 1993, there were approximately 1.5 million arrests for 
     driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics in the 
     United States.
       Teenage and young adult drivers aged 16-29 years of age who 
     have been arrested for driving while impaired are over four 
     times more likely to die in future crashes involving alcohol 
     than those who have not been arrested for drunk driving.
       Adult drivers age 30 and older, who have been arrested for 
     drunk driving, are over 11 times more likely to die in future 
     crashes involving alcohol than those who have not been 
     arrested.
       Over 70 percent of drivers convicted of driving while 
     impaired have serious drinking problems.


                          National Objectives

       By the year 2000, the U.S. Public Health Service wants to 
     reduce alcohol-related motor vehicle crash deaths to no more 
     than 5.5 per 100,000 population. (In 1994, the rate of deaths 
     from these crashes was 6.4 per 100,000 population.)
       By 2005, the U.S. Department of Transportation wants to 
     reduce alcohol-related traffic fatalities to 11,000.


       Programs and policies to prevent alcohol-impaired driving

       States lowering the legal BAC to 0.08 percent have 
     experienced a 16 percent decline in the proportion of fatal 
     crashes involving fatally injured drivers whose blood alcohol 
     levels were 0.08 percent or higher and an 18 percent decline 
     in the proportion of fatal crashes involving fatally injured 
     drivers whose blood alcohol levels were 0.15 percent or 
     higher, relative to other states who had not adopted these 
     laws.
       Raising the minimum drinking age to 21 years has been shown 
     to reduce alcohol consumption among youth and significantly 
     reduce crash deaths in the under-21 age group.
       In one State, raising the minimum drinking age from 19 to 
     21 years resulted in a 38 percent decline in motor vehicle 
     death rates among 19 and 20 year olds.
       States lowering the legal BAC for drivers under age 21 
     years have experienced a 22 percent decline in deaths in 
     single-vehicle crashes involving drivers 15-20 years of age 
     compared to an only 2 percent decline in States that did not 
     establish lower blood alcohol content for these drivers.
       States that require the prompt suspension of the driver's 
     license of persons who drive while intoxicated (i.e., 
     administrative license revocation) have typically experienced 
     a 6 percent decline in single-vehicle nighttime fatal 
     crashes, crashes that typically involve alcohol.
       Substance abuse treatment for DWI offenders has generally 
     resulted in a 7- to 9-percent reduction in DWI recidivism.

     

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