In this week's episode of ER , a drunk driver causes a fatal traffic accident that tears apart a young family. Drunk driving, or what is often termed impaired driving, remains a serious problem in America - more people are arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol each year than for any other crime. As many as three in every ten Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash at some time in their lives. The following provides additional information on impaired driving as well as links to related sites. This percentage is dramatically lower than in the 1980s when impaired driving was linked to more than 57 percent of traffic fatalities.
Young people are over-represented in motor vehicle crash statistics compared to adults.
Alcohol involvement in crashes is highest among men age 21-40. Unfortunately, there has not been a significant decrease in drunk driving for this age group over the past ten years. Nevertheless, this remains a serious threat to public health. Impaired driving is most likely to occur at night, during weekends, and on holidays. On any given weekend evening 1 in 10 people on America's roads have been drinking.