NCJ Number
167190
Date Published
1994
Length
31 pages
Annotation
Data were obtained from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Federal Highway Administration, and the Bureau of the Census to assess trends in alcohol-related fatal traffic accidents in the United States for the 14-year period between 1979 and 1992.
Abstract
Data showed the proportion of alcohol-related traffic accidents reached a 14-year low of 37.4 percent in 1992. Between 1979 and 1992, alcohol-related traffic fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, 100,000 population, 100,000 registered vehicles, and 100,000 licensed drivers decreased by 50, 37, 40, and 40 percent, respectively. The number of years of potential life lost due to alcohol-related traffic accidents declined by 34 percent for males and by 28 percent for females over the 14-year period. The number of male drivers involved in alcohol-related fatal traffic accidents decreased by 30 percent, while a 4- percent increase was recorded for females. In 1992, the national rate of blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of drivers killed in traffic accidents remained stable at 73 percent. The mean BAC score for drivers involved in fatal accidents remained fairly constant over the 14-year period. Between 1991 and 1992, deaths associated with young drinking drivers declined by 16 percent. In 1992, 4,463 young people were killed in alcohol-related traffic accidents, down by 17 and 48 percent from 1991 and 1979 totals, respectively. In 1992, 28 percent of drinking driver fatalities were among persons between 16 and 24 years of age. Drivers between 16 and 19 years of age had a peak BAC level of 0.12 g/dl percent, compared with 0.17 g/dl percent for drivers between 20 and 44 years of age and 0.22 g/dl percent for drivers 45 years of age and older. Factors that may affect the findings are discussed. 28 references, 13 tables, and 6 figures