Driving while either intoxicated or drunk is fatal.
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 385times 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.
In order to lower the percentage of drunk drivers and drunk driving accidents I hope to persuade individuals to consider other options, when faced with the option to drink
and drive in the future.
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