Stop Impaired Driving
In recent years the United States has made progress in the reduction of fatal alcohol-related automobile injuries. In fact, from 1987 to 1997 alcohol-related traffic fatalities were reduced by 32%. Despite this encouraging trend, impaired driving remains an issue of great concern to public health and traffic safety professionals. Approximately 42,000 people die each year in motor vehicle crashes, of which 17,500 (41%) are alcohol-related. Drugs other than alcohol were found to be factors in 18% of deaths among motor vehicle drivers. The problem of impaired driving involves a complex set of issues including auto safety, responsible and healthy behavior, substance abuse, and responsible alcohol policies affecting zoning, purchase, and service of alcohol. Given the complexity of the issue, reducing impaired driving requires a comprehensive approach that addresses these and other factors.
In 1998 APHA and NHTSA entered into a cooperative agreement to strengthen state collaboration to reduce traffic injuries. As a result of this collaboration, mini-grants of up to $10,000 were awarded to fifteen affiliates to collaborate with state medical associations on the Department of Transportation Buckle Up America campaign. The mini-grants were awarded in September 1999.
In 2001, APHA and NHTSA extended their efforts to focus on impaired driving, awarding two APHA affiliates mini-grants of $16,500 for their efforts to reduce impaired driving through affiliate-determined projects tailored to the needs of the populations in their states.
Due to the success of the impaired driving initiative, NHTSA has extended the cooperative agreement for one more year allowing APHA to award ten state affiliates mini-grants up to $8,500 for their efforts to reduce impaired driving.
If you are interested in applying for this funding, please review the grant announcement and complete the grant application found below. If you have any questions, contact Charlene Royal at (202) 777-2491 or via e-mail at charlene.royal@apha.org.
Grant Announcement (pdf file)
Grant Application (pdf file) Impaired Driving Statistics
- In 2001, 17,448 people were killed in crashes involving alcohol (1 every half hour), representing 41% of the 42,116 people killed in all traffic crashes (no change from the 41% killed in 2000).
- About three in every ten Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash at some time in their lives.
- An estimated 513,000 people are injured in alcohol-related crashes each year, an average of 59 people per hour or approximately one person every minute.
- Alcohol consumption is a major cause of motor vehicle crashes and injury. Historically, about half of all motor vehicle fatalities occur in crashes in which a driver or non-occupant has consumed a measurable level of alcohol prior to the crash.
- For fatal crashes occurring from midnight to 3:00 a.m., 77 percent involved alcohol.
- 30% percent of all fatal crashes during the week were alcohol-related, compared to 53% on weekends.
- Based on 1998 data, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for persons of every age from 4 through 33 years old.
- Alcohol-related crashes in the United States cost the public more than $110 billion in 1998.
- The average alcohol-related fatality in the United States cost $3.2 million: $1.2 million in monetary costs & $2.0 million in quality of life losses
- For detailed information about your specific state, please visit the following sites:
- For other useful traffic Safety links, please visit:
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