Driving, Alcohol, and Drugs
Since the invention of the automobile, people have recognized that drinking alcohol could lead to traffic accidents. Injuries from motor vehicle accidents are now the leading cause of death for individuals ages 1 to 29, and alcohol is the single greatest cause of fatal vehicle crashes. In 2000 approximately 16,068 deaths in car accidents were linked to alcohol use and driving. In fact, more people are killed in automobile crashes involving alcohol than by firearms.
In 1968 the U.S. Department of Transportation made its first report to the U.S. Congress on traffic safety and alcohol. It revealed that more than 50 percent of fatal traffic collisions and 33 percent of serious injury traffic collisions were alcohol-related. By the late 1970s, citizen groups such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving,ﾀ Students Against Driving Drunk (now calling itself Students Against Destructive Decisions),ﾀ and Remove Intoxicated Drivers, had emerged to address the problem of drunk driving. These members—who included victims, their families, and concerned citizens—vigorously campaigned for new and tougher drunk-driving laws and punishments.
ﾀSee Organizations of Interest at the back of Volume 1 for address, telephone, and URL.
In the 1980s, Congress encouraged states to adopt stricter laws regulating drinking and driving.
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