Samenvatting
Early results from the 2004 Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) show that the number of alcohol-related fatalities in motor vehicle traffic crashes declined from 2003. This is the second consecutive year in which alcohol-related fatalities have declined, after reaching a recent high of 17,524 in 2002. With an expected increase in vehicle miles traveled (VMT), the alcohol-related fatality rate per 100 million VMT will be 0.57, the lowest recorded by the Department of Transportation. Also, fatalities in “high-alcohol” crashes, i.e., crashes where the highest blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was .08 grams per deciliter or above, also declined by 1.8 percent, to 14,409 fatalities. (Author/publisher)