The Relationship of Alcohol Abuse to Highway Safety

In a recent study of fatal traffic accidents in Michigan, it was found that 9 of 10 wrong way drivers in fatal accidents had been drinking; that 2 out of 3 drivers in fatal accidents who were cited for speeding had been drinking; and that half of all the drivers in fatal accidents cited for driving left of the center line, had been drinking. The study also showed drinking to be involved twice as frequently in fatal accidents over 60 miles an hour as in fatal accidents below 60 miles an hour. The role of alcohol can be roughly summarized in the following way: the number of highway fatalities in the United States was estimated to be 56,400 in 1969 by the National Safety Council. Of the half of these in which alcohol plays a role it would be estimated that two-thirds result from accidents initiated by ''problem drinkers'' who drive. The other third are related to abusive drinking by "social drinkers" particularly heavy social drinkers on their way home from a spree, or young drivers (particularly teen agers) who are both learning to drink and to drive. As an individual's blood-alcohol-concentration goes above 0.05 percent, the risk of being involved in a fatal or serious accident also climbs. By the time the 0.10 percent level which the National Highway Safety Bureau defines as intoxicated is reached, the probability of being involved in an accident is 7 1/2 times the normal risk. From this point on, the risk curve climbs dramatically. At 0.15 percent the risk is nearly 27 times normal and above this level, the risk in a fatal accident increases to 50 or more times greater than normal. The focus of an effective highway safety alcohol countermeasures program must be on the problem drinker who drives, who is the major contributor to fatal and serious highway accidents.

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• Record URL:
  • https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/1052
• Corporate Authors:

  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Voas, R B
  • Tabor, Len
• Publication Date: 1970-10-24

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Pagination: 19p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Alcohol use; Blood alcohol levels; Countermeasures; Crash causes; Crash risk forecasting; Drunk drivers; Fatalities; Highway safety; Injuries; Speeding; Teenage drivers; Traffic crashes; Traffic safety
• Geographic Terms: United States
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01082958
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: NTL, TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Dec 21 2007 7:57AM