14 Years No Progress in Reducing the Percentage of Drunk Driving Fatalities in California

    SAN FRANCISCO, CA, April 01, 2015 /24-7PressRelease/ -- After 14 years promoting a wide range of enforcement and public information campaigns, new data released from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows no California progress in reducing the percentage of drunk driving fatalities.*

According to the 2013 data recently released, 867 persons died in crashes involving a drunk driver. The 867 killed in DUI driver crashes represents 29% of all fatalities, and the percentage has not declined in the 14 years since 1999, the last year of a percentage decline when the percentage was 26%. Further, the percentage of drivers DUI increased from 30% to 33% and for drivers with known test results the percentage is 37%. In addition the average fatally injured DUI driver BAC was 0.20% at 2.5 times the legal limit.

"Over 14,000 persons have been killed in California DUI fatalities since 1999," says Al Crancer, Jr. a retired NHTSA researcher, "All of this happening while the most recent California data showed the number of motor vehicle fatalities down 16%, the number of DUI fatalities down 6%, but less than the total fatalities, and a 33% increase in occupants restrained in fatal crashes over the same time period. The lack of progress in reducing the percentage of DUI fatalities, a preventable fatal crash factor, has gone on too long unnoticed because of the focus on the reduction of the number of DUI fatalities and not the percent."

Crancer added "I think that there may be two possible causes for the lack of progress in decreasing the percentage of DUI fatalities which are noted in the study. First, the DUI arrests are down 15% with 28,000 more arrests needed yearly to equal the number in 1999. Second, California and NHTSA changed from a primary prevention approach and message, "Friends don't let friends drive drunk" to a secondary prevention approach and message, which is now "Drive sober, or get pulled over", and "Buzzed driving is drunk driving".

The new messages eliminated the primary prevention/intervention potential of friends, to stress the risk of being arrested if you drive DUI. As noted, the sharp decline in DUI arrests does not support this approach.

The yearly total of over 800 DUI fatalities and the 14,000 persons killed by drunk drivers in the last 14 years of no progress paints a grim picture of California's program to reduce DUI.

* NHTSA FARS Encyclopedia data for CA: http://wwwfars.nhtsa.dot.gov/Trends/TrendsAlcohol.aspx

For More Information on the Study:
Full Report: http://www.alancrancer.com/research.html
Al Crancer, Jr. 925-324-2093 - [email protected]
Alan Crancer 601-594-8015 - [email protected]

# # #