Preliminary Highway Death Statistics for 2001 Show Fight Against Drunk Driving Has Stalled

WASHINGTON, April 24 -- With the number of alcohol-related traffic deaths in 2001 remaining the same as in 2000, the National Commission Against Drunk Driving (NCADD) today warned that the fight against drunk driving has stalled at the expense of 16,652 lives lost last year alone.

According to a preliminary report of crash data released this week by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), the percentage of traffic deaths that were alcohol-related in 2001 remained unchanged at 40 percent -- 16,652 deaths -- only one less death than in 2000.

The study estimated the number of total highway deaths at 41,730 in 2001, compared to 41,821 in 2000. The number of injuries dropped from 3.2 million in 2000 to 3.0 million in 2001. The death rate per 100 million vehicle miles remained statistically the same: 1.50 in 2001, as compared to the 2000 rate of 1.52.

``The fight against drunk driving has simply stalled, and it's time to jump-start it,'' said NCADD Chairman Robert Stempel. ``Each year since 1994, alcohol-related traffic deaths have hovered between 16,000 and 17,000, while the percentage of highway deaths that have been alcohol-related has stagnated at about 40 percent.'' An estimated 600,000 other people are injured each year in alcohol-related crashes.

``This unrelenting epidemic of death and disabling injury on our highways is totally unacceptable,'' said John Moulden, the President of the NCADD. ``We need renewed political leadership and action at the federal level and in every state and community if we are serious about curbing this most frequent violent crime. NCADD's members and supporters are eager to work with our government leaders and all concerned citizens to reengage the nation once again in bringing down the drunk driving death toll.''

At the current level of drunk driving in America, about three in every ten Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash in their lifetimes, according to U.S. DOT.

Last November, the NCADD sponsored a National Town Hall Meeting on Drunk Driving in Washington, D.C. to identify actions needed to regain the momentum in the fight against drunk driving, which saw a dramatic 35 percent drop in deaths from 1982 until the stagnation started in 1994.

The Town Hall Meeting brought together some of the nation's top researchers and practitioners who identified a wide variety of recommendations, including two overriding needs: Stronger leadership and support by national, state and local government officials, and increased citizen involvement to apply political pressure on government leaders make the fight against drunk driving a top priority.

The complete report of recommendations from NCADD's National Town Hall Meeting on Drunk Driving is available on the world wide web at: http://www.ncadd.com .

The NCADD is the successor non-profit group to the National Commission on Drunk Driving that was appointed by President Reagan in 1982.