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The Role of the Drinking Driver in Traffic Accidents

The U.S. Justice Department's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services states that a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.05 percent impairs a driver's perception and reflexes. The consequences of driving drunk are illustrated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which reports that 32 people are killed each day in traffic accidents caused by drunken drivers.

  1. Fatalities

    • The CDC reports that 32 percent of all traffic fatalities in 2008 involved drunken drivers and that almost half of the children under 14 who perished in traffic accidents were riding with a drunken driver. The CDC further reports that 30 percent of the motorcyclists killed in traffic accidents in 2008 were intoxicated and had a BAC of at least 0.08 percent.

    Young Drivers

    • The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that in 2008, 34 percent of drivers with a BAC of 0.08 or greater who were involved in fatal crashes were between the ages of 21 and 24. Seventeen percent of these crashes involved drivers between 16 and 20 years of age.

    Hard-Core Drinking Drivers

    • The National Transportation Safety Board reports that in 2008, hard-core drinking drivers were responsible for 71.1 percent of all alcohol-related traffic accidents. The NTSB defines these drivers as those apprehended with a BAC of 0.15 percent or more and those previously arrested for driving under the influence within the past decade.

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