How extensive is the problem of people driving under the influence of alcohol or other drugs?
Of the 41,967 traffic fatalities in 1997, 39% were alcohol-related (i.e., either the driver of the crash vehicle or an affected person not in a vehicle (e.g., a pedestrian or a bicyclist) had a blood alcohol concentration of at least 0.01 gram per deciliter (g/dL).1 The U.S. is making progress toward reducing alcohol-related traffic fatalities. The 16,189 alcohol-related traffic fatalities in 1997 represent a 32% reduction from the 23,641 alcohol-related fatalities in 1987. From 1985 to 1995 for persons ages 15-34 years, the alcohol-related traffic fatality rate declined 32% while the nonalcohol traffic fatality rate declined 13%.2 Each year in the U.S. there are over 120 million episodes of impaired driving among adults.3 About 1.4 million arrests are made annually for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics (1 in every 123 licensed drivers).
