Drunkdriving

All 50 states in the US and Puerto Rico now apply two statutory offenses to driving under the influence of alcohol. The first (and original) offense is known either as driving under the influence (DUI), driving while intoxicated/impaired (DWI), or operating [a motor vehicle] while intoxicated/impaired (OWI). This is based upon a police officer's observations (driving behavior, slurred speech, the results of a roadside sobriety test, etc.)

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This year, 10,839 people will die in drunk-driving crashes - one every 50 minutes. (NHTSA, 2009) Full cite: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. ?2008 Traffic Safety Annual Assessment ? Highlights? DOT 811 172. Washington DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2009. [] High school students who use alcohol or other substances are five times more likely to drop out of school or believe good grades are not important. (NIDA, 2008) Full cite: National Institute on Drug Abuse. ?Volume 1: Secondary School Students?, National Survey Results on Drug Use from The Monitoring the Future Study, 1975-1997. Rockville, MD: Department of Health and Human Services, 1998. []

United States Drunk Driving Car Accident Statistics (2009)

 * Three in every ten Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash at some point in their lives.
 * Of fatal accidents in 2009, 32 percent involved alcohol-impaired drivers.
 * On average, one person died every 48 minutes in 2009 due to an alcohol-impaired driver.
 * In 2009, all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico made it illegal to drive with a BAC of .08 or higher. Of the 10,839 people who died in an alcohol-related crash, 7,281 (67 percent) had drivers with BACs above the legal limit.
 * For fatal crashes occurring from midnight to 3 a.m., 66 percent involved alcohol-impaired driving.
 * On New Year's Day, 468 people were killed in car accidents. Alcohol-impaired driving contributed to 40 percent of them.
 * Fatal crashes involving alcohol-impaired drivers occurred four times more at night than during the day (37 percent versus 9 percent).
 * Of the drivers involved in fatal crashes, 30 percent of males had a BAC of .01+ and 25 percent had a BAC of .08+; 16 percent of women had a BAC of .01+ and 14 percent had a BAC of .08+.
 * Of people ages 21 to 24 involved in fatal crashes, 35 percent had a BAC above the legal limit.
 * In 2009, 14 percent of children ages 14 and younger killed in crashes died because of alcohol.
 * More than 181 children were killed due to drivers who were drunk.
 * Drivers with a BAC level of .08 or higher in fatal crashes were eight times more likely to have a prior conviction for driving while under the influence.
 * The most frequently recorded BAC level among drinking drivers in fatal crashes was .17, which is more than twice the legal limit.

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