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December is National Drunk and Drugged Driving Awareness Month. 3-D Month Plan...Friends Don't Let Friends Drive Drunk -- Designate a Sober Driver.
Get the facts
- A blood alcohol level of 0.08% is equal to or greater than the legal limit in most states.
- About 1.5 million drivers were arrested in 2002 for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics.
- Alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes injure someone every two minutes.
- Someone dies every 31 minutes in alcohol related motor vehicle crashes.
- In the United States 17, 013 people died in alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes in 2003.
- Alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes represent 40% of all traffic-related deaths.
- Alcohol-related crashes in the United States cost about $51 billion each year.
- Those convicted of driving while impaired are heavy drinkers (alcohol abusers) or alcoholics.
Modified from: Impaired Driving Facts. National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/driving.htm
Straight Answers
Drinking and driving: Who is more likely to drive under the influence of alcohol?
- Individuals between 21 and 34 years of age
- Repeat offenders or chronic impaired drivers
- Underage drinkers between the ages of 15 and 20
Impaired driving crashes: When are they most likely to occur?
- In the evening hours
- On weekends
- On holidays
- Special occasions such as prom/graduation celebrations, and spring breaks
Alcohol-related crashes: What is the cost?
- In 2000, alcohol-related crashes accounted for 20 billion dollars in auto insurance payments in the United States.
On the road with impaired drivers: What is the risk?
At some point in their lives, about three in every 10 Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash
Modified from: Impaired Driving Prevention Toolkit, National Highway Traffi c Safety Administration and
the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) January 2003.
How can I recognize signs of an alcohol problem?
Please check all that apply:
- Drinking to calm nerves, forget worries or boost a sad mood
- Guilt about drinking
- Unsuccessful attempts to cut down/stop drinking
- Lying about or hiding drinking habits
- Causing harm to oneself or someone else as a result of drinking
- Needing to drink increasingly greater amounts in order to achieve desired effects
- Feeling irritable, resentful or unreasonable when not drinking
- Medical, social, family or financial problems caused by drinking
- Spending a great deal of time getting and drinking alcohol
- Drinking in risky situations such as before driving or before engaging in unwanted/unprotected sex
If you checked any of the circles above, please consider talking with a health professional today or get a referral with a health professional.
Source: Adapted from Greenfi eld, S. Educational Lecture for National Alcohol Screening Day, 1999, Updated by Richard Saitz, MD, MPH
