Most Americans have a general sense that drunken driving isn’t as bad a problem as it was a generation ago. But few realize how much those numbers changed in a relatively short time. When the federal government started counting alcohol-impaired traffic deaths in 1982, there were more than 21,000 a year. By 2011, the death toll was down by 53 percent. States had raised the legal drinking age to 21 and adopted a common rule that a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 meant “too drunk to drive.” Many states also mandated the installation of interlock devices to prevent those with a history of drunken driving from turning on their ignition unless they were sober. Those laws, coupled with education and prevention campaigns, helped reduce drunk driving deaths to fewer than 10,000 in 2011.
But recently the trend has stalled. The total number of alcohol-impaired traffic fatalities actually rose in both 2015 and 2016. “Drunk driving has been around since the automobile was invented and it’s still the biggest killer on the highway,” says J.T. Griffin, the chief government affairs officer for Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). Indeed, alcohol causes more traffic deaths per year than either speeding or driving without a seatbelt.
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8 comments:
Ban cars
What about them cellphones -- how much does they kill?
5:47
Cell phones kill nobody.
Alcohol kills nobody.
Guns kill nobody.
People kill others when they drive drunk, distracted, or fire bullets at other people.
Look through the propaganda and use your mind. You are smart enough to escape the programming.
Did you know the woman who started MADD was arrested for drunken driving.And yes that was after she founded that organization.
8:13: 100% INCORRECT! A former chapter president in FL was arrested for DUI. That's just one president, from just ONE group out of many. NOT THE FOUNDER! You need to research what your drunk friends tell you!
All forms of less attentive driving are problems.
But what was the population in 1982, 2011, 2016?
And how many drivers were there, and how many miles were driven in each of those years?
Deaths by each method of distraction, per million miles driven, might be a more useful and honest way to gauge how we are doing?
Otherwise it's like comparing deaths in 1776 vs 2016 for skydiving accidents!
844 - don't be testy. Point being, hypocrites are all shapes, sizes and in charge of everything. Its normalcy here in heeling America, stop fooling yourself.
Me, pointing out your untrue comment is not being "testy." Nor am I "fooling myself" for pointing out how your statement was again, not the truth. If I was an American at heel, ( is that you Hillary? ) I would not have first proved you wrong, and secondly to do it yet again with what follows. Your "point" was a self serving lie. Any further point you thought you were making ended right there. I think you are the one who needs to stop fooling yourself!
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