Studies and Reports on DWI, DUI and other Driver Impairments
2007 NHTSA Report - State Traffic Data - this report provides
very useful figures such as the number of licensed drivers by state, millions of miles driven by state, etc.- 2007 NHTSA Report - Alcohol Impared Driving - this report shows
fatalities by state and level of BAC.
- The Breathalyzer Behind the Wheel - It is also important to link
ignition interlocks to substance-abuse treatment. Currently, court orders simply specify that the units be installed for a fixed period of six months to two years, regardless of
whether the person has shown progress in curbing his drinking problem. That helps explain why, as research has shown, the devices have no lasting effect on the likelihood that a
person will be arrested for drunk driving again after the interlock order is lifted. Mandates for interlocks should be tied to requirements for substance-abuse treatment, and
removal of the devices should not be allowed until the offender has gone for an extended period without trying to start his car after drinking.
- The Driving While Impaired (DWI) Report (New Mexico) - an in-depth
review of statistics concerning the offense of driving while impaired in New Mexico. Information is drawn from a variety of databases such as the crash and DWI citation files. DGR
has been producing this report for the New Mexico Traffic Safety Bureau (TSB) since 1982.
- 2007 Traffic
Safety Annual Assessment – Alcohol-Impaired Driving Fatalities - This 2007 summary report is extremely informative and filled with useful charts. Of
interest is the chart showing that "alcohol-impaired driving fatalities and fatality rate per 100 million vehicles miles driven" has been gradually falling.
- Alcohol-Impaired Drivers Involved in Fatal Crashes by Gender and State 2007 2008 - The report by the National Highway Transportation Safety
Administration (NHTSA) shows that in New Mexico in 2008, 24% of males in fatal crashes and 11% of females in fatal crashes had a Blood Alcohol
Content (BAC) of .08% or higher.
- Crash Risk of Alcohol Involved
Driving: A Case Control Study - This 2005 Dunlap Associates report of a case-control (drivers with a BAC and drivers with no BAC) methodology to produce
statistically valid relationships between BAC and risk of crash. The study found "elevated risk beginning at 0.05 - 0.06% BACs with an accelerated increase in
risk at BACs greater than 0.10%." The "Final Adjusted Relative Risk Estimate" curve is shown on the home page of the DWIWatch.org website.
- Relative Risk of Fatal
Crash Involvement by BAC, Age, and Gender - this 2000 report by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows the relative risk
curves by gender and age group. While the results parallel those of the Dunlap Associates report, this report reveals a substantially greater risk for underrage
males than either underage females or the general population. Indeed, risk of crash for 16-20 year old males is about 4 times that of the general population at
.08 BAC, and accelerates more steeply at lower BACs than the general population.
- A Comparison of the Cell
Phone Driver and the Drunk Driver - A recently released study reveals that driving and using a cell-phhone increases the risk of a crash by 4 times, which
is the same crash risk as a BAC of .08. Texting while driving has a crash risk 16 times that of a non-impaired driver. According to the author, hands-free
devices do not substantially reduce the risk of crash.
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