According to the 2008 FARS database, there were 84,026 persons and 66,244
drivers involved in 60,508 crashes which killed 41,059 people. 9,447 of
these persons (11.2% of them) and 8,841 crashes (14.6% of them) were reported by
the police as
"Alcohol-Involvement". BAC tests proved 5,946 of these persons (7% of
all persons and 63% of those reported by the police as "Alcohol-Involvement")
had a BAC greater than 0.10, compared to 4,001 (4.8% of all persons and 37%
of those reported by the police as "Alcohol-Involvement") who were proven to have not had a
BAC greater than 0.10. So more than a third of Americans who the police
suspected had been drinking were proven by expensive, counterproductive, time
consuming BAC testing to be innocent of all charges.
If a driver collides with a pedestrian or bicyclist who has been drinking,
the police almost automatically list this accident as "Alcohol-Involvement". As a motorcyclist
who knows how dangerous they are no matter how sober you are, and since
motorcyclists usually kill only themselves, it doesn't seem reasonable to
include them in the
same category as motor vehicle drivers. In other words, why should we use
dead motorcyclists who harm almost nobody as an excuse to continue to persecute
drinking drivers?
2,247 of the remaining
5,946 persons with a BAC greater than 0.1 or 38% of them, died while
driving an ATV, snowmobile, farm equipment, forklift, bicycle, motorcycle, or as
a pedestrian, leaving a total of 3,699 drivers (5.6% of all drivers and 4.4% of all
persons) who were in fatal accidents who were proven to have had a BAC greater
than 0.10. Since NHTSA has determined that young drivers who drink
don't have a higher accident rate than young drivers who don't drink
(who DO have a very high accident rate, but for other reasons) their
2,698 Police-Reported Alcohol Involvement accidents must also be
excluded as a factor, leaving a grand total of only 1,001 GUILTY-of-DWI
drivers--1.5% of all drivers and 1.2% of all persons.
The REAL question you ought to be asking yourself is: when are we going to
crack down on the 98.5% who drink so little that they caused 98.8% of all these
other fatal accidents.
Think about it. This is not a joke.
However, it could be argued that SOME of these 976 alcohol-involved
motorcycle deaths WERE caused by drinking motor vehicle drivers, rather
than by drinking motorcyclists themselves--except that it seems that
there are so FEW of them. Ditto for the 969 pedestrians, 148 ATV
drivers, and maybe even the 2,698 young drivers. Just to be on the
safe side, let's say drinking drivers DID cause 20% of these deaths, or
763 of them, giving us a grand total of 1,764 GUILTY-of-DWI drivers,
2.7% of all drivers and 2.1% of all persons!
By what process can it be established that 42% of all fatal accidents involve
drinking drivers, as the headlines scream? There is none, not at least
from the FARS database, and there hasn't been for FARS
1999.
Police Reported Alcohol Involvement
Are 16.9% of Crashes Where Drugs Were Suspected
STATE: All
YEAR: 2008
COUNT: Number of
Crashes
OPTIONS:
Because you
are counting Number of Crashes with the variables
Police-Reported Alcohol Involvement and
Police Reported Other Drug Involvement, the sum
of the totals (51908) may not equal the Number of
Crashes (34017).
Police
Reported Alcohol Involvement By Sex Are 12.2% of all Drivers
STATE:
All
YEAR: 2008
COUNT:
Number of Vehicles/Drivers
OPTIONS:
Because you are counting Number
of Vehicles/Drivers with the
variables Sex and
Police-Reported Alcohol
Involvement, the sum of the
totals (66224) may not equal the
Number of Vehicles/Drivers
(50430).
Police
Reported Alcohol Involvement by Sex Are 14.6% of all Crashes
STATE:
All
YEAR: 2008
COUNT:
Number of Crashes
OT OPTIONS:
Because you are counting Number
of Crashes with the variables
Sex and Police-Reported
Alcohol Involvement, the sum
of the totals (60508) may not
equal the Number of Crashes
(34017).
Not Applicable - Occupant of Motor Vehicle
In-Transport or Not In-Transport (Including
Motor Vehicles Parked/Stopped Off
Roadway/Working/In Motion Outside the Trafficway)
24
30,709
8,478
32,667
6,432
78,310
01
1
1,768
962
1,916
945
5,592
02
0
42
7
40
17
106
03
0
4
0
4
1
9
04
0
1
0
0
0
1
05
0
1
0
0
0
1
Unknown
0
6
0
1
0
7
Total
25
32,531
9,447
34,628
7,395
84,026
Search Criteria:
Year
2008
131 or 1.4% of Police Reported
Alcohol Involvement Were Bicyclists
Persons Killed, by Highest
Driver Blood Alcohol
Concentration (BAC) in the
Crash, 1994 - 2007 - State : USA
SELECT
REPORT CRITERIA:
Year
BAC = .00
BAC = .01-.07
BAC = .08+
BAC=.01+
*Total Number
Number
Percent
Number
Percent
Number
Percent
Number
Percent
1994
24,948
61
2,236
5
13,390
33
15,626
38
40,716
1995
25,768
62
2,416
6
13,478
32
15,893
38
41,817
1996
26,052
62
2,415
6
13,451
32
15,866
38
42,065
1997
26,902
64
2,216
5
12,757
30
14,973
36
42,013
1998
26,477
64
2,353
6
12,546
30
14,899
36
41,501
1999
26,798
64
2,235
5
12,555
30
14,790
35
41,717
2000
26,082
62
2,422
6
13,324
32
15,746
38
41,945
2001
26,334
62
2,441
6
13,290
31
15,731
37
42,196
2002
27,080
63
2,321
5
13,472
31
15,793
37
43,005
2003
27,328
64
2,327
5
13,096
31
15,423
36
42,884
2004
27,413
64
2,212
5
13,099
31
15,311
36
42,836
2005
27,423
63
2,404
6
13,582
31
15,985
37
43,510
2006
26,633
62
2,479
6
13,491
32
15,970
37
42,708
2007
25,555
62
2,388
6
12,998
32
15,387
37
41,059
Note: NHTSA
estimates alcohol involvement when alcohol test
results are unknown.
*Total Number
- Total includes fatalities in crashes in which
there was no driver or motorcycle rider present.
[Editor's Note: The above
table which suggests that 37% of drivers had a
BAC greater than 0.1 (not .01) contradicts the
database which shows that a total of only 15% of
those allegedly tested were proven to have had a
BAC greater than .01]
2,698 or 28.6% of Police-Reported Alcohol-Involvement Were Young Drivers
