NHTSA releases report on alcohol-related crashes

Jan 26, 2009

Traffic fatalities resulting from alcohol-impaired motor vehicle crashes – including motorcycles – were down slightly in 2007 from the previous year, according to new data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

A NHTSA fact sheet published Dec. 9 shows that in 2007, 12,998 fatalities occurred in crashes involving a driver with a blood-alcohol content of 0.08 or higher. This is a nearly 4 percent decrease from 2006 and represents 32 percent of total traffic fatalities for the year, the agency said.

Other data:

• The 2007 figures represent an average of one alcohol-impaired driving fatality every 40 minutes.
• 15 percent of child traffic fatalities occurred in alcohol-related driving crashes.
• The highest percentage of drivers in fatal crashes who had a BAC of 0.08 or higher were 21-24 years old.
• The percentage of drivers with a BAC of 0.08 or higher in fatal crashes was highest among motorcycle operators.