FACT SHEET

Drive Hammered - Get Nailed

August 2007

Impaired Driving Creates Serious Consequences in the United States

• Traffic collisions are the leading cause of death for Americans ages 1-43. [CDC]  Nearly 18,000 Americans died in alcohol-related traffic collisions in 2006. [NHTSA]

• Each year drunk and drugged driving leads to one death every 33 minutes, one injury every two minutes and1.5 million arrests nationally. [NHTSA]

• Nationally, at least 80 million trips are made annually by drivers who are over .08 BAC, with less than one arrest for every 50 trips by a driver over .08 BAC. [NHTSA]

• An average alcohol-related fatality in the U.S. costs $3.2 million:  $1.2 million in direct monetary costs and $2.0 million in indirect costs. [NHTSA]
  
  

Impaired Driving Creates Serious Consequences in Washington

• In Washington, 3,753 people were killed in drinking driver-involved traffic crashes from 1993 to 2006. [WTSC/FARS]

• Over 600 people are killed each year in traffic crashes in Washington.  About 40 percent of these involve a driver who had been drinking.  [WTSC/FARS]

• August is one of the deadliest months for traffic fatalities.  Labor Day weekend is one of Washington’s deadliest holidays, averaging more than eight deaths each year. [WTSC/FARS]

• That’s why extra DUI patrols are being conducted August 15 to
  September 3. [WTSC]
  
  

Impaired Driving Is a Crime and Will Not Be Tolerated

• As of July 1, 2007, some individuals arrested for DUI could face felony charges if they have four previous DUI arrests within a 10 year period, which would carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine.  Previously, DUI could only be charged as a misdemeanor, regardless of how many prior DUIs were on a person’s driving record. [RCW 46.615055 (13)]

• A DUI conviction means license suspension, ignition interlock, and jail time/electronic home monitoring. The court can order you into alcohol or drug treatment. Fines and fees can add up to $5,000.  A DUI can double your insurance rates. [WTSC]
  
  

Efforts to Combat Impaired Driving Need to be Stepped Up

• In comparison with current drinking driver fatalities (about 40 percent of all traffic deaths), in 1980, over 60 percent of all traffic deaths involved a driver who had been drinking. [WTSC/FARS]  According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration [NHTSA], many efforts have combined to achieve this decrease in drinking driver crashes, including tougher laws, increased enforcement, intensive publicity, and the growth of grassroots organizations.  Since 1992, the number of alcohol-related fatalities has changed very little, but campaigns that combine public information efforts with increased enforcement, such as Drive Hammered Get Nailed, are a proven strategy for reducing the death toll of drunk driving.  [NHTSA]
  
  

Impairment Starts With the First Drink

• Alcohol impairs driving skills at any level above zero BAC (see Chart 1, “Effects of Alcohol on Driving Skills”).  By .05 BAC, the majority of drivers are significantly impaired, and by .08 BAC all drivers experience impairment in critical driving-related skills.  [Moskowitz and Fiorentino, 2000]

Chart 1, “Effects of Alcohol on Driving Skills”

• Washington law defines DUI per se as involving any driver with a BAC of at least .08 percent blood alcohol concentration (BAC).  Drivers can be arrested if they are impaired with BAC less than .08.  Drivers under age 21 can be arrested with a .02 percent BAC.  [RCW 46.61.502-503]

• A 21-34 year-old driver with a BAC between .05 and.79 (under the per se limit of .08) is four times more likely to die in a crash than a sober driver in the same age group.  A male driver with age 16-20 a BAC between .05 and .079 is fifteen times more likely to die in a crash than a sober driver in the same age group. [Zador et. al., 2000]

CDC: Centers for Disease Control
FARS: Fatality Reporting Analysis System
Moskowitz and Fiorentino, 2000:  Effects of Low Doses of Alcohol on Driving-Related Skills, Literature Review, DOT HS 809 028.
NHTSA: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
RCW: Revised Code of Washington
WTSC: Washington Traffic Safety Commission
Zador, et al., 2000: Relative Risk of Fatal Crash Involvement by BAC, Age, and Gender,
DOT HS 809 050