Holiday Drinking and Driving Statistics

Holiday drinking and driving statistics may be numbers on a page, but they represent a lot more than that to the people whose lives have been affected by people who combine alcohol and/or drug use with operating a motor vehicle. The Holiday Season (between Thanksgiving and New Years Day) is a time when we are busy celebrating with family and friends, and alcohol may be served at parties and other events. It's important to plan in advance for an alternative way to get home if you plan on drinking alcohol while celebrating the best of the season.

Enjoy your party, but drink responsibly.

As an example, here are holiday drinking and driving statistics as reported by Alabama state law enforcement agencies:

• In 2007, there were 7,197 car crashes that were related to the consumption of alcohol. This is a slight reduction from the 2006 figure of 7,531.

• During the 2007 Christmas season, 170 alcohol-related crashes occurred in the central part of the state. Another 65 crashes happened on Labor Day weekend, and 72 took place around Memorial Day.

• Driving with a Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of 0.08 or higher means you are legally drunk in Alabama. This level is the standard used in all other states.

According to statistics provided by the Ontario Provincial Police, impaired driving is the leading criminal cause of death in all of Canada. In 2007, during the Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere (R.I.D.E.) campaign that took place for the five weeks leading up to New Year's Eve, police stopped 861,587 cars and trucks.

• 342 people were charged under the Criminal Code with crimes relating to drinking and driving.

• 869 12-hour driver's license suspensions were issued.

• 375 drivers lost their driving privileges for 90 days.

On long weekends in the summer, Ontario Provincial Police deal with 10 fatal accidents on average. You may think that the Christmas holiday season is the most deadly for alcohol-related accidents, but this is not the case. More people are arrested for drinking and driving offenses on the roads and on the water during the summer months than in the last few days of the year. In 2003, 38 percent of drivers who were fatally injured in motor vehicle accidents had been drinking.

• According to the National Center for Statistics and Analysis, 12,998 people lost their lives in car crashes where drinking and driving was a factor.

• In the United States, the number of fatalities related to drinking and driving went down in 32 states in 2007.

• The number of motorcycle operators who were charged with alcohol-related offenses increased in 25 states, as well as the District of Columbia. Charges were up by 10 percent that year. This was the only category of driver where the numbers were up.

The following statistics were provided by Mothers Against Drunk Driving:

• In 2007, 12,998 people died in alcohol-related crashes.

• Someone is killed by a drunk driver once every 40 minutes, on average.

• Approximately three out of every 10 people will be involved in a car crash where alcohol is a factor at some point during their lives.

• More than 1.46 million people were arrested in 2006 for DUI (Driving Under the Influence or Alcohol or Narcotics).

• More than 500,000 people were injured in motor vehicle accidents where alcohol was a factor; this works out to one person being hurt about every minute.

In the United States alone, accidents where alcohol was involved cost the public approximately $114.3 billion (2000 figures). This figure is further broken down as follows:

• $51.1 billion in monetary costs

• $63.2 billion for loss of quality of life

Approximately $71.6 billion was paid out by someone other than the impaired driver in damages. This number accounts for 63 percent of the total cost associated with the accidents.

Hopefully these statics will convince everyone that it simply isn't worth the risk to drink and drive, especially during the holidays when people are more likely to imbibe. Be sure to take LTK's Drinking and Driving Facts Quiz to test your knowledge and learn even more about this devastating problem.

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