Research aNd Statistics A 1999 national telephone survey, sponsored by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), estimates that between 46 and 102 million drinking-driving trips are made each year with children under the age of 15 in the vehicle. In May 2000, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) published “Characteristics of Child Passenger Deaths and Injuries Involving Drinking Drivers.” The study found that from 1985 to 1996, there were 5,555 child passenger deaths involving a drinking driver. Of these deaths, 3,556 (64 percent) occurred while the child was riding with a drinking driver; 67 percent of these drinking drivers were old enough to be the parent or caregiver of the child. * 1 footnote Of all drivers transporting a child who died, drinking drivers were more than twice as likely as non-drinking drivers to have had a previous license suspension (17.1 percent vs. 7.1 percent) and more than six times as likely to have a conviction for driving while intoxicated (7.9 percent vs. 1.2 percent). These findings underscore the serious risk that persons arrested for alcohol-impaired driving pose to others and to themselves. Drivers who have been arrested for driving while impaired are known to be at substantially increased risk of future death in alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes compared with drivers who have not been arrested for this offense. * 2 footnote In addition, studies have shown that 70 percent of the drivers arrested for driving while impaired have alcohol abuse problems and between 10 and 50 percent are alcohol dependent. * 3 footnote Taken together, these findings emphasize the importance of aggressive intervention with persons convicted of DUI/DWI, including evaluation and treatment for alcohol problems, to prevent future deaths in alcohol-related crashes. From 1988 through 1996, an estimated 149,000 child passengers were non fatally injured in crashes involving a drinking driver. Of these, 58,000 (38.9 percent) were riding with a drinking driver when injured in the crash. * 4 footnote
* 1 footnote Royal, D. National Survey of Drinking and Driving Attitudes and Behavior: 1999, Volume 1: Findings. Washington, DC: US Dept of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; 2000. DOT Report HS 809 190 * 2 footnote Brewer RD, Morris PD, Cole TB, Watkins S, Patetta MJ, Popkin C. The risk of dying in alcohol-related automobile crashes among habitual drunk drivers. The New England Journal of Medicine. 1994; 331:513-517. * 3 footnote Wieczorek W, Miller B., Nochajski T. Multiple and Single Location Drinking Among DWI Offenders Referred for Alcoholism Evaluation. American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse 1992; 18, no. 1: 103-116. * 4 footnote Quinlan KP, Brewer RD, Sleet DA, Dellinger AM. Characteristics of Child Passenger Deaths and Injuries Involving Drinking Drivers. Journal of the American Medical Association 2000; 283: 2249-2252.
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