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USDOT Launches "You Drink & Drive. You Lose." Labor Day National Crackdown
USDOT Launches You Drink & Drive. You Lose.
Labor Day National Crackdown
Releases New State Drunk Driving Statistics
& Holiday Crash Fatality Projections
NEW YORK, August 22, 2005 -- Federal transportation officials joined New York City metropolitan area traffic safety officials today to kick off the largest ever
You Drink & Drive. You Lose. national enforcement crackdown. Nationwide, a record number of 11,500 law enforcement agencies are participating in the coast-to-coast crackdown.
"We encourage anyone planning on drinking alcohol to be responsible and designate a sober driver", said National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Administrator Jeffrey Runge, M.D. "With checkpoints, roving patrols, undercover officers and concerned citizens, chances are if you drive impaired this holiday you will be arrested, booked and prosecuted."
Impaired driving is one of America’s most often committed and deadliest crimes. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Uniform Crime Report, more than 1.4 million people nationwide were arrested in 2003 for driving under the influence.
Dr. Runge released NHTSA’s 2004 state alcohol-related fatalities statistics. Nationally, nearly 13,000 people died in highway crashes involving at least a driver or motorcycle rider with an illegal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level of 0.08 or higher.
Overall, alcohol-related fatalities declined by 2.4 percent in 2004 from 2003, the second consecutive year in which alcohol-related fatalities have declined. A total of 32 States and the District of Columbia showed a decline in alcohol-related fatalities in 2004 from 2003.
NHTSA projects that 510 people will die in automobile crashes during the Labor Day holiday and about half (260) will be alcohol-related.
The crackdown is complemented by a $13.9 million national advertising campaign that puts drivers on notice that if they drive impaired they will be caught and prosecuted. "Where better to unveil our new national advertisement than Times Square", said Administrator Jeffrey Runge, M.D. "In the midst of so many logos and ads, the most valuable message anyone can take away is You Drink & Drive. You Lose".
Driving with a blood alcohol level of .08 and above is illegal in every state," said Joseph Estey, President, International Association of Chiefs of Police. "It can cost
violators over $8,000 on bail, court, a lawyer and towing fees instead of on their last summer vacation. Refuse a sobriety test and you can lose your license on the spot and have your car impounded."
Studies from NHTSA show that Americans support tougher enforcement and consider drunk driving an important social issue, ahead of health care, poverty, the environment and gun control. Nearly 97 percent of Americans view drinking and driving by others as a threat to their families and themselves. The majority of Americans also support increased enforcement efforts like sobriety checkpoints to protect innocent victims from impaired drivers.
"Nearly every half hour someone dies in an alcohol-related crash despite the fact that these tragedies are preventable," says MADD National President Glynn R. Birch. "High visibility enforcement is one of the single, most effective tools we have to reduce alcohol-related fatalities and injuries. We applaud the efforts of all law enforcement working the front lines of traffic safety to rid the roadways of drunk driving."
NHTSA reminds everyone of these lifesaving tips:
- Be responsible and don’t risk it … you will be caught.
- If you plan to drink, choose a designated driver before going out.
- Take mass transit, a taxicab or ask a sober friend to drive you home.
- Spend the night where the activity is being held.
- Report impaired drivers to law enforcement.
- Always buckle up – it’s your best defense against an impaired driver.
The You Drink & Drive. You Lose. National Crackdown, launched in December 1999, is a comprehensive impaired driving prevention effort focused on conducting highly visible criminal justice-related efforts to deter impaired driving. For more information about the campaign, visit www.StopImpaireddriving.org
| State | YEAR | 2003 to 2004 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 2004 | |||
| BAC=0.08+ | BAC=0.08+ | |||
| Num | Num | Num | % Change | |
| Alabama | 341 | 367 | 26 | 8% |
| Alaska | 29 | 28 | -1 | -3% |
| Arizona | 342 | 322 | -20 | -6% |
| Arkansas | 190 | 219 | 29 | 15% |
| California | 1,149 | 1,154 | 5 | 0% |
| Colorado | 203 | 194 | -9 | -4% |
| Connecticut | 115 | 106 | -9 | -8% |
| Delaware | 46 | 39 | -7 | -15% |
| Dist of Columbia | 25 | 11 | -14 | -56% |
| Florida | 907 | 865 | -42 | -5% |
| Georgia | 355 | 392 | 37 | 10% |
| Hawaii | 48 | 46 | -2 | -4% |
| Idaho | 83 | 76 | -7 | -8% |
| Illinois | 489 | 467 | -22 | -4% |
| Indiana | 204 | 236 | 32 | 16% |
| Iowa | 114 | 86 | -28 | -25% |
| Kansas | 166 | 118 | -48 | -29% |
| Kentucky | 223 | 256 | 33 | 15% |
| Louisiana | 336 | 312 | -24 | -7% |
| Maine | 65 | 58 | -7 | -11% |
| Maryland | 187 | 209 | 22 | 12% |
| Massachusetts | 156 | 164 | 8 | 5% |
| Michigan | 340 | 329 | -11 | -3% |
| Minnesota | 212 | 160 | -52 | -25% |
| Mississippi | 278 | 302 | 24 | 9% |
| Missouri | 394 | 359 | -35 | -9% |
| Montana | 103 | 97 | -6 | -6% |
| Nebraska | 95 | 75 | -20 | -21% |
| Nevada | 121 | 107 | -14 | -12% |
| New Hampshire | 36 | 50 | 14 | 39% |
| New Jersey | 195 | 191 | -4 | -2% |
| New Mexico | 144 | 153 | 9 | 6% |
| New York | 395 | 419 | 24 | 6% |
| North Carolina | 403 | 425 | 22 | 5% |
| North Dakota | 46 | 34 | -12 | -26% |
| Ohio | 370 | 391 | 21 | 6% |
| Oklahoma | 212 | 223 | 11 | 5% |
| Oregon | 158 | 145 | -13 | -8% |
| Pennsylvania | 496 | 512 | 16 | 3% |
| Rhode Island | 50 | 37 | -13 | -26% |
| South Carolina | 389 | 369 | -20 | -5% |
| South Dakota | 82 | 74 | -8 | -10% |
| Tennessee | 370 | 420 | 50 | 14% |
| Texas | 1,405 | 1,264 | -141 | -10% |
| Utah | 36 | 65 | 29 | 81% |
| Vermont | 21 | 19 | -2 | -10% |
| Virginia | 281 | 279 | -2 | -1% |
| Washington | 203 | 203 | 0 | 0% |
| West Virginia | 118 | 103 | -15 | -13% |
| Wisconsin | 324 | 296 | -28 | -9% |
| Wyoming | 46 | 51 | 5 | 11% |
| U.S. | 13,096 | 12,874 | -222 | -2% |
| Puerto Rico | 157 | 173 | 16 | 10% |
| Source: National Center for Statistics and Analysis, Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2004 Annual Report File | ||||
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