Drivers are considered to be alcohol-impaired when their blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is .08 grams per deciliter (g/dL) or higher. Thus, any fatal 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. The term “driver” refers to the operator of any motor vehicle, including a motorcycle. Estimates of alcohol-impaired driving are generated using BAC values reported to the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and imputed BAC values when they are not reported. The term “alcohol-impaired” does not indicate that a crash or a fatality was caused by alcohol impairment. In 2011, 9,878 people were killed in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes. These alcohol-impaired-driving fatalities accounted for 31 percent of the total motor vehicle traffic fatalities in the United States. Traffic fatalities in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes decreased by 2.5 percent from 10,136 in 2010 to 9,878 in 2011. The alcohol-impaired-driving fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (VMT) remained at 0.34 in 2011 (same as in 2010). An average of one alcohol-impaired-driving fatality occurred every 53 minutes in 2011. In 2011, all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico had by law created a threshold making it illegal per se to drive with a BAC of .08 or higher. Of the 9,878 people who died in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes in 2011, 6,507 (66%) were drivers with a BAC of .08 or higher. The remaining fatalities consisted of 2,661 (27%) motor vehicle occupants and 710 (7%) nonoccupants. (Author/publisher)
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