ALCOHOL RELATED FATAL MOTOR VEHICLE TRAFFIC ACCIDENT STUDY-MICHIGAN

There were 853 alcohol related fatal traffic accidents out of a total of 1,741 fatal traffic accidents, or 49.0 percent, during the year 1977, claiming a total of 970 lives, or 49.7 percent of the total highway fatalities. A total of 2,672 drivers were involved in fatal traffic accidents, of which 876 had been drinking, or 32.8 percent of the 2,672 drivers involved in fatal accidents, 831 drivers, of 31.1 percent had blood alcohol concentration tests. Of these, 400, or 48.1 percent, exceeded .10 percent by weight, the legal presumptive level. Young drivers, aged 24 years and under, accounted for 46.4 percent of all had been drinking drivers in fatal accidents. Results show that the younger drinking drivers had lower levels of alcohol in their blood, yet had higher involvement in fatal accidents, strongly suggesting that young drivers are more vulnerable to traffic accidents when drinking is involved. On the other hand, the blood alcohol concentration level among the middle-age drinking drivers was higher, yet their involvement in traffic accidents is lower. March was the peak month for alcohol related fatal traffic accidents, with 57.4 percent during the year 1977. There were only 4 counties that had fatal traffic accidents which did not have a drinking driver involved in a fatal accident. Thre of these counties had 2 fatal accidents and one had 5 fatal accidents. Of the total fatal traffic accidents being alcohol related, there were 51 counties above the state average of 49.0 percent. Of the total fatalities being alcohol related, there were 37 counties above the state average of 50.0 percent. In only 53 fatal accidents, or 3.0 percent were the investigators unable to determine the drinking condition of the drivers in the accident. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays accounted for 6.4 percent of the had been drinking fatal traffic accidents, but only 53.2 percent of the total fatal accidents. Of all the had been drinking fatal traffic accidents, 61.5 percent occurred between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 3:00 a.m., but only 38.0 percent of the total fatal accidents. /Author/

• Corporate Authors:

  Michigan Department of State Police

  Traffic Analysis Section, 714 South Harrison Road
  East Lansing, MI  United States  48823
• Publication Date: 1978-6

Media Info

• Features: Tables;
• Pagination: 19 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Adolescents; Age; Blood alcohol levels; Drivers; Drunk drivers; Drunk driving; Fatalities; Teenage drivers; Traffic crashes
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00189094
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Safety Council Safety Research Info Serv
• Report/Paper Numbers: Final Rpt.
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Mar 28 1979 12:00AM