Drunk Driving by Gender

A study released in August 2010 by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that over the past year, one out of five drivers age 16 and over in the United States had driven a motor vehicle within two hours of drinking alcohol. About two-thirds of those drivers had done so in the past 30 days. The results of this study were used to estimate that 17.2 million drivers, or 8.2 percent of all drivers, had driven one or more times in the past year when they thought they were over the legal limit defining drunk driving. In addition, more than four out of five people (81 percent) saw drinking and driving by others as a major threat to their personal safety. The survey was conducted from September to December 2008.A NHTSA study shows an increasing trend among women driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI). NHTSA found that from 2007 to 2008 the number of impaired women drivers involved in fatal crashes increased in 10 states and remained flat in five states, despite an overall decline of 9 percent in all drunk driver crashes during the same period. The study confirms FBI statistics showing that arrests for women driving under the influence increased by nearly 30 percent over the 10-year period from 1998 to 2007. Over that same decade, DUI arrests for men decreased by 7.5 percent, although the total number of men arrested during the period outstripped women by about four to one.

Drunk Driving by Age

According to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2009, the percentage of drivers in fatal crashes who were alcohol impaired was highest for 21-24 year old drivers, at 35 percent, followed by 25-34 year old drivers, at 32 percent, and 35 to 44 year old drivers, at 26 percent.

Groups

There are many groups against drunk driving. Drunk driving is a serious situation and shouldn't be done by anyone at anytime. There are some groups such as the Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), Underage Drinkers Against Drunk Driving (UDADD), and many more. All of these groups were put together to spread the awareness of drunk driving and how it can affect you.

More Statistics

http://www.alcoholalert.com/drunk-driving-statistics.html

Ways to Avoid Drunk Driving

With lack of adequate public transportation in many cities, it is sometimes difficult to get home late at night. Here are some suggestions:

* Get a designated driver

* Drink at locations within walking distance of your home

* Call a cab

* Search for services that will take both you and your car home if you are drunk

* Look for public transportation in larger cities

* Ask the bartender for help and let him know if you are the designated driver

* Offer to pay for a cab or drive friends home if they are drunk

* Drink nonalcoholic beverages

Blood Alcohol Concentration and What it Does

Blood Alcohol Concentration (g/dL)1


Typical Effects


Predictable Effects on Driving

.02


• Some loss of judgment
• Relaxation
• Slight body warmth
• Altered mood


• Decline in visual functions (rapid tracking of a moving target)
• Decline in ability to perform two tasks at the same time (divided attention)

.05


• Exaggerated behavior
• May have loss of small-muscle control (e.g., focusing your eyes)
• Impaired judgment
• Usually good feeling
• Lowered alertness
• Release of inhibition


• Reduced coordination
• Reduced ability to track moving objects
• Difficulty steering
• Reduced response to emergency driving situations

.08


• Muscle coordination becomes poor (e.g., balance, speech, vision, reaction time, and hearing)
• Harder to detect danger
• Judgment, self-control, reasoning, and memory are impaired


• Concentration
• Short-term memory loss
• Speed control
• Reduced information processing capability (e.g., signal detection, visual search)
• Impaired perception

.10


• Clear deterioration of reaction time and control
• Slurred speech, poor coordination, and slowed thinking


• Reduced ability to maintain lane position and brake appropriately

.15


• Far less muscle control than normal
• Vomiting may occur (unless this level is reached slowly or a person has developed a tolerance for alcohol)
• Major loss of balance


• Substantial impairment in vehicle control, attention to driving task, and visual and auditory information proces

What to do if You See A Drunk Driver

It happens every day. Drunk drivers get on the roads, endangering our friends and loved ones. Sometimes, we witness these drivers on the road, weaving in and out of lanes or traveling down a highway going the wrong direction. Quite often, responsible citizens are left asking themselves—what do I do?

First, stay as far away from the other vehicle as possible.
Second, do not try to pass the vehicle or signal the driver to pull over. Doing so could result in a collision.
Third, take notice of the license plate number of the driver along with details of the vehicle including make, model and color. However, make sure you don’t compromise your own safety trying to obtain this information.
Finally, pull over and call 911. Give the exact location of the vehicle, including the name of the road or cross streets and the direction the vehicle is traveling. Give a complete description of the vehicle and the manner in which the vehicle is being driven.