CDC study indicates that self-reported drunk driving is down
Drunk driving is one of the most irresponsible things that a New Jersey resident can do. Drunk drivers are far more likely to be involved in car accidents than sober drivers and even one drink drastically increases the likelihood that a driver will be involved in a fatal car accident.
The number of drunk driving crashes continues to be far too high in the state, but a new study by the Centers for Disease Control indicates that the numbers of self-reported drunk driving incidents has decreased this year. In fact, the rate of drunken driving incidents has fallen 30 percent in the last five years and is now at the lowest mark in nearly 20 years.
The CDC study was based on an anonymous telephone survey of 210,000 adults throughout the country. About 1 in every 50 of the respondents said that they drove drunk during the month before the study. Although two thirds of the respondents claimed to only have driven drunk once, some individuals said that they drive drunk daily. The CDC statistics indicate that 112 million drunk driving incidents happened last year, or 300,000 incidents per day. This is still far too many potential crashes according to David Strickland, administrator for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
“While the nation has made great strides in reducing drunk driving over the years, it continues to be one of the leading causes of death and injury on America’s roads – claiming a life every 48 minutes,” Strickland said.
Source: Seattle Times, “CDC: Self-reported drunken driving is down,” Mike Stobbe, Oct. 5, 2011
