D

Vict

What are thefacts aboutdrunk driving?■ About 3 in every 10

Americans will be involvedin an alcohol-related crash atsome time in their lives. (TrafficSafety Facts 1999.

Washington, DC:

National Highway Traffic SafetyAdministration, 2000)

■ In 1999, 15,786 people were killed in 

alcohol-related crashes, representing an average of one alcohol-related fatality every33 minutes. An estimated 308,000 peoplewere injured in alcohol-related crashes.(Traffic Safety Facts 1999.

Washington, DC:

National Highway Traffic SafetyAdministration, 2000)

■ In 1999, 30 percent of all traffic fatalities

occurred in crashes in which at least onedriver or nonoccupant, such as a pedestrianor bicyclist, had a blood alcohol contentof 0.10 g/dl (grams per deciliter) or greater.Seventy percent of the 12,321 people killedin such crashes also were intoxicated. Theremaining 30 percent were passengers, nonintoxicated drivers, or nonintoxicatednonoccupants. (Traffic Safety Facts 1999.Washington, DC: National Highway TrafficSafety Administration, 2000)

■ It is estimated that alcohol was involved in

38 percent of fatal crashes and 7 percent ofall crashes in 1999. (Traffic Safety Facts1999.

Washington, DC: National Highway

Traffic Safety Administration, 2000)

■ Fatally injured drivers with BAC levels of

0.10 g/dl or greater were six times morelikely to have a prior conviction for drivingwhile intoxicated than fatally injured soberdrivers (12 percent and 2 percent, respectively). (Traffic Safety Facts 1999.

Washington,

DC: National Highway Traffic SafetyAdministration, 2000)

Resources for Information

and Assistance

Mothers Against Drunk Driving

1–800–GET–MADD or 1–800–438–6233

www.madd.org

National Center for Victims of Crime

1–800–FYI–CALL or 1–800–394–2255

www.ncvc.org

National Organization for Victim Assistance

1–800–TRY–NOVA or 1–800–879–6682

www.try-nova.org

Office for Victims of Crime Resource Center

1–800–627–6872

TTY 1–877–712–9279

www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/ovcres/welcome.html

Remove Intoxicated Drivers-USA

514–393–HELP or 514–393–4357

www.rid-usa.org

This brochure was developed by the National Center for 

Victims of Crime under a project supported by Grant No.

97–VF–GX–K007 awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime,

Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice.

Points of view in this document are those of the author

and do not necessarily represent the official position

or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
What is drunk driving?

Alcohol and other drugs impair driving ability.The term “drunk driving” is intended to incorporate all forms of impairment. Many states requirea blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.10 g/dl(grams per deciliter) before a driver is consideredlegally intoxicated, but driver reaction time slowswith a BAC below 0.10. Vision and depth perception become distorted, and coordination andjudgment are affected. Thus, more states haverecently lowered the BAC criterion to 0.08,which is still well above the American MedicalAssociation recommendation of 0.05 g/dl.Drunk/drugged driving deaths and injuries aresenseless acts. They are someone’s fault (not“accidents”), so they always could have been prevented.Drunk or drugged driving is a crime. Victims ofdrunk driving crashes are not hurt accidently.The crime is the result of two choices made by adriver: to use alcohol or other drugs and to getbehind the wheel of a vehicle. These choices areas dangerous to the public as using a deadlyweapon and can be just as deadly.Drunk driving is not a newproblem. Thanks to thework of Mothers AgainstDrunk Driving(MADD), RemoveIntoxicated Drivers(RID), and other grassroots victim groups, public awareness of drinkingand driving as preventablecrime has grown, and the numberof state and federal laws against impaired drivingare increasing.

If You Are a Survivor of aDrunk Driving IncidentWhether you or a loved one is a drunk or drugged driving crash victim, you may be affectedphysically, emotionally, and financially. Forinjured victims and family members of thosekilled or injured, the first task is processing whathas happened. Impaired driving crashes are sudden. They give you no time to prepare. It willtake a lot of time just to grasp the shock andhorror of the trauma. The physical andemotional suffering may seem to use upall the energy you have.The knowledge that your body or that ofa loved one was damaged or disfigured isvery traumatic. If a loved one was killed, thesudden, violent death that took his or her lifeprobably feels unlike any other loss you haveexperienced. You may feel vast swings in emotion. You may feel guilty for not being able toprotect your loved one, even if you know it wasnot possible. Knowing the crash could havebeen prevented may be one of the most painfulaspects of your grief. The injustice of the deathand your involvement with the criminal justicesystem as a result of the crime may complicateyour grief.Whether you are an injured victim or a survivingfamily member or friend, you may experience anew sense of vulnerability. You may have nightmares or flashbacks about the crash. Your eatingand sleeping habits may change. You may feeldepressed or hopeless and lack interest in thingsyou once enjoyed. Even though surviving adrunk driving crash is a terrible trauma, manysurvivors find that with time they can face lifewith new understanding and meaning.

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