Alcohol Involvement In United States Traffic Accidents PDF Download

The proportion of traffic accidents involving alcohol in the United States (U.S.) is estimated using two national accident data files. Alcohol is estimated to be involved in between 53 percent and 58 percent of the fatal accidents resulting in approximately 22,500 traffic deaths in 1983. In non-fatal traffic accidents, alcohol is involved in at least 17 percent of injury-producing accidents and 8 percent of property damage only accidents. This results in an additional 670,000 injured persons and 1,200,000 property damage only accidents per year that are related to alcohol involvement. When alcohol-involved fatal accident rates are calculated per unit of travel, drivers ages 16-24 clearly have the highest rates. Alcohol involvement in fatal accidents is traced from 1980 through 1982 for any changes. Assessments made concerning the decrease in fatalities between 1980 and 1982 include contributions by a) economic factors affecting travel, b) a decrease in alcohol involvement, c) an overall reduction in the teenage population, and d) a national increased "health and safety awareness." More specifically, the alcohol involvement reduction between 1980 and 1982 was greatest in daytime, weekday, multi-vehicle, passenger car crashes involving either drivers over 25 years old or teenagers. Alcohol countermeasure programs appear to be affecting the lunchtime/happy hour/weekday drinking of older automobile drivers (speculation). The citizen activist groups (MADD and SADD) may be affecting teenagers most