Statistics from M.A.D.D.

• Alcohol is closely linked with violence. About 40 percent of all crimes (violent and non-violent) are committed under the influence of alcohol. (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1998)
• About three in every ten Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash at some time in their lives. (NHTSA, 2001)

- above from http://www.madd.org/stats/1789

• Fatally injured drivers with BAC levels of 0.08 g/dl or greater were 9 times as likely to have a prior conviction for driving while intoxicated compared to fatally injured sober drivers. (NHTSA, 2004).
• The risk of a driver who has one or more DWI convictions becoming involved in a fatal crash is about 1.4 times the risk of a driver with no DWI conviction. (NHTSA, 2000)
• About one-third of all drivers arrested or convicted of driving while intoxicated or driving under the influence of alcohol are repeat offenders. (Fell, 1995)

- above from http://www.madd.org/stats/4542

Higher-Risk Drivers: The Problem

Higher-Risk Driver: MADD defines the “higher-risk driver” as 1) Repeat offenders convicted (conviction is defined as receiving a court-imposed sanction) of a second driving-under-the-influence offense within a 5- year period; 2) High BAC offenders convicted of a driving-under-the-influence offense with a BAC of .15% or higher; and/or 3) Driving-while-suspended (DWS) where the suspension was the result of a conviction for driving under the influence.

THE PROBLEM

Repeat Offenders:

• About one-third of all drivers arrested or convicted of driving under the influence are repeat offenders. These drivers are 40% more likely to be involved in a fatal crash than those without prior DUIs.

High-BAC Offenders:

• Over half of alcohol-related traffic fatalities involve drivers with a BAC of .15% and above.2 These drivers are at least 382 times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash than a non-drinking driver.
• During a typical weekend night, 1% of drivers will have a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .15 or higher.

Offenders Who Drive on a Suspending License:

• 50-75% of drunk drivers whose licenses are suspended continue to drive.
• 32% of suspended second-time offenders and 61% of suspended third-time offenders received violations or were involved in crashes during their suspensions.
• Generally, unlicensed drivers are 4.9 times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash than properly licensed drivers.

- above from http://www.madd.org/stats/11001

• Impaired driving is the most frequently committed violent crime in the United States.
• About one-third of all drivers arrested or convicted of driving while intoxicated or driving under the influence of alcohol (DWI) have a previous DWI conviction.
• Drivers with prior DWI convictions are over-represented in fatal crashes and have a greater relative risk of
• Between 50 and 75 percent of those whose licenses are suspended due to a DUI continue to drive illegally. Over 60 percent of 3rd time DUI offenders, who have their license suspended, commit some manner of traffic violation during their suspension/revocation period.

- above from http://www.madd.org/news/9856