How often is alcohol a factor in traffic fatalities involving young people?
In 1997, 14% of drivers aged 16-20 years and 26% of drivers aged 21-24 years who were involved in fatal crashes were legally drunk (BAC 0.10g/dL or greater).1 Young men aged 18-20 years (too young to legally buy alcohol) report driving while impaired almost as frequently as men aged 21-34 years.3At all levels of blood alcohol concentration, the risk of being involved in a crash is greater for young people than it is for older people.
