Driving while either intoxicated or drunk is dangerous.
THE FACTS
· The average BAC among fatally injured drinking drivers is.16
· The relative risk of death for drivers in single-vehicle crashes with a high BAC is 385 times that of a zero-BAC driver
· For male drivers the risk is 707 times that of a sober driver, according to estimates by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).
· High BAC drivers tend to be male, aged 25-35, and have a history of DWI convictions and polydrug abuse.
POSSIBLE GOVERNMENT RESOLUTIONS
· Automatic license revocation appears to be the single most effective measure to reduce drunk driving.
· Automatic license revocation along with a mandatory jail sentence appears to be even more effective than just automatic license revocation.
· Impounding or confiscating license plates.
· Mandating the installation of interlock devices that prevent intoxicated persons from starting a vehicle.
· Vehicle impoundment or immobilization.
· Expanding alcohol server training programs.
Implementing social norms programs that correct the misperception that most people sometimes drive under the influence of alcohol.
· Passing and enforcing bans on open containers would probably reduce drunk driving by deterring drinking while driving. Surprisingly, some states have vehicular no open container laws.
· Imposing graded or multi-tiered penalties based on BAC at the time of arrest. This policy is virtually universal with regard to speeding.
· Restricting nighttime driving by young people. This appears to be effective in those states with such restrictions.
· Involving drivers in identifying and reporting possibly drunken drivers to law enforcement authorities by dialing 911 on their cell phones.
