A recently released federal report states that drunk driving has decreased in America by 30 percent in the past five years, with 2010 marking the lowest year in reported DUI incidents in nearly two decades. The Centers for Disease Control based the findings on surveys conducted in 2010 of more than 200,000 adults.
The evidence does not suggest that fewer people are drinking, but, rather, that fewer of them are drinking and driving. The economy could be one reason why more people are choosing to drink at home, rather than going out to bars or nightclubs and risking a possible DUI arrest. The price of one or more drinks outside the home has simply become too expensive for many consumers.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration officials recognized the strides made over recent years in the campaign to make drivers aware of possible consequences of drunk driving. David Strickland, the agency's administrator, notes, though, that drunk driving continues to be the leading cause of death and injury on U.S. highways. Statistics indicate that drunk driving claims a life every 48 minutes on America's roads.
Recent data from the agency show a decline in DUI-related fatalities involving drunk drivers, dropping from 11,711 in 2008 to 10,839 in 2009. Men between the ages of 21 and 34 accounted for 32 percent of all drunk driving incidents, although they comprise only about 11 percent of the nation's population.
A nationwide survey of drivers who admitted driving under the influence ranked North Dakota at the top of the national average, with 988 out of 1,000 people admitting to alcohol-impaired driving at some point.
Related Resource: CBS News, "Driving under the influence: Does economy deserve credit?" Oct. 5, 2011
