DECLINE IN DRINKING AND DRIVING CRASHES, FATALITIES AND INJURIES IN THE UNITED STATES

Over the last decade, the number of deaths and injuries related to impaired driving has declined significantly in the United States as well as in other industrialized countries. For example, in 1982, 57% of all highway fatalities in the U.S. involved a driver with a measurable blood alcohol level. By 1992, this figure had decreased to less than 46% of fatalities. At the same time, the total number of traffic fatalities decreased from 43,945 in 1982 to 39,235 in 1992. An understanding of this significant social change can indicate how further decreases might be achieved. It can also serve as a model for understanding other social problems and how they might be ameliorated. Accordingly, this paper addresses the following: The Nature of the Decrease - total fatalities and alcohol-related fatalities, pedestrian fatalities, gender and alcohol-related fatalities, and age and alcohol-related fatalities; Possible Explanations - detection, deterrence and consequences, increasing the drinking age to 21, levels of alcohol consumption, and increased public awareness and activism; Factors That Can Contribute to Further Reductions in Fatalities - changes in the social environment regarding alcohol and changes in the transportation environment; and Implications for Other Social Problems.