In 2001, 17,448 people died as a result of alcohol-related crashes. That's one alcohol-related fatality every 30 minutes. More than 275,000 persons were injured in crashes where police reported that alcohol was present-an average of one person injured every 2 minutes.

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for every age group from 4 through 33 years of age. Thirty five percent of all traffic fatalities involved at least one intoxicated driver or pedestrian.

More than 29 percent of motorcyclists and 23 percent of light truck drivers who died in crashes in 2000 were intoxicated, that is, they had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .10 or higher. Twenty-three percent of drivers of passenger cars, and 1 percent of drivers of large trucks also were intoxicated.

Today, most states consider a person legally intoxicated when the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is 0.10 or higher. Some states have dropped the legal BAC to 0.08 because many people are affected by alcohol even though their BAC is lower than 0.10. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) defines "impaired" as having a BAC of 0.01 or greater. Impaired drivers can be just as dangerous as legally intoxicated drivers because alcohol takes away three vital elements of safe driving: judgment, muscular coordination, and vision.

Don't drive while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Controlling the use of alcohol and other drugs is an extremely important part of the traffic safety picture. Awareness and prevention measures have been key in reducing traffic fatalities involving alcohol. For example:

• The establishment of a minimum drinking age of 21-years old in all 50 states and the District of Columbia has reduced traffic fatalities involving drivers 18 to 20 years old by 13 percent and has saved an estimated 20,970 lives since 1975, according to NHTSA. However, 18 percent of people 16 to 20 years old who died in vehicle crashes in 2001 were intoxicated.
• Safety belt laws are an important factor in preventing fatalities. Safety belts reduce the risk of fatal or serious injury to front seat passengers by 45 percent. However, only 23 percent of the fatally injured intoxicated drivers were wearing safety belts when they crashed.

Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Traffic Safety Facts 2001