Alcohol-impaired driving continues to be one of the major problems on our Nation’s highways. Drivers are considered to be alcohol-impaired when their blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is .08 grams per deciliter (g/dL) or higher. Thus, any crash involving a driver with a BAC of .08 or higher is considered to be an alcohol-impaired-driving crash, and fatalities occurring in those crashes are considered to be alcohol-impaired-driving fatalities. This research note reviews characteristics of fatal alcohol-impaired-driving crashes using data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). The number of overall motor vehicle crash fatalities has decreased over the past several years. From 2008 to 2009, there was a 9.7 percent decrease in fatalities, from 37,423 to 33,808. In the same year, alcohol-impaired-driving fatalities decreased from 11,711 to 10,839, a decrease of 7.4 percent. The percentage of motor vehicle crash fatalities that are alcohol-impaired driving related, however, has changed little over the years. In 2008, it was 31 percent of all fatalities, and 32 percent in 2009. (Author/publisher)
Abstract