The Television Bureau of Advertising has joined forces once again with the Ad Council and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in a unique effort to harness the power of local broadcast television to fight drunk driving.
For more information, go to www.wbir.com
* In Tennessee in 2003, 447 people were killed in alcohol-related traffic crashes. Those deaths represent 37% of all traffic fatalities.
* In the United States in 2003, 17,013 people were killed in alcohol related traffic crashes – an average of one every 31 minutes. Those deaths represent 40% of all traffic fatalities.
* An estimated 513,000 people are injured in alcohol-related crashes each year, an average of 59 people per hour or approximately one person every minute.
* About three in every ten Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash at some time in their lives. (NHTSA, 2000)
* Since MADD’s founding in 1980, alcohol-related traffic fatalities have decreased 44 percent (from 30,429 to 17,013) and MADD has helped save almost 300,000 lives. (NHTSA FARS Data, 2004)
* People reporting first use of alcohol before age 15 were more than five times more likely to have past year alcohol dependence or abuse compared with people who first used alcohol at age 21 or older. (SAMHSA, 2004)
* Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for people from 2 to 33 years old. (NHTSA, 2004)
* The average person metabolizes alcohol at the rate of about one drink per hour. Only time will sober a person up. Drinking strong coffee, exercising or taking a cold shower will not help. (Michigan State University, 2002)
* A standard drink is defined as 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of 72-proof distilled spirits, all of which contain the same amount of alcohol — about .54 ounces. (NHTSA, 2002)
* About one-third of all drivers arrested or convicted of driving while intoxicated or driving under the influence of alcohol are repeat offenders. (NHTSA, January 2001)
* Of the general driving age public, 97 percent see drinking and driving as a threat to their personal safety, and 66 percent feel it is extremely important to do something to reduce the problem in terms of where tax dollars should be spent. (Gallup Organization, 2003)
* Looking or more? Please visit: MADD.org National Statistics
