Fatal crash data has consistently shown drivers 21 to 24 years old have the highest level of involvement in alcohol-impaired driving fatalities, compared to drivers of all other ages (see Table 1). In 2007, more than one-third (35%) of 21- to 24-year-old drivers involved in fatal crashes were alcohol-impaired (blood alcohol concentration [BAC] .08+ grams per deciliter). While drivers 21 to 24 constituted 11 percent of all drivers involved in fatal crashes in 2007, they constituted 18 percent of all alcohol-impaired drivers involved in fatal crashes, making them the most over-involved age group for alcohol-impaired drivers. While alcohol-impaired driving is always a major concern in motor vehicle crashes, there are certain times of the year when the problem is more prevalent, such as holidays. The percentage of impaired drivers involved in fatal crashes during the last two weeks of December (the Christmas-New Years holiday period) by age group for the last five years of available data (data for January 1, 2008, is not yet available) is shown in Table 2. Note that in each year during this holiday period, the 21- to 24-year-olds again have the highest percent-age of impaired drivers, just as they had in the Table 1 full year data. In addition, the percentage of impaired drivers is consistently higher for this age group during this time period than during the full year of data. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting