Drunken driving deaths up in 22 states
Pastor Dale Morgan
Drunken driving deaths up in 22 states
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ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — Drunken driving fatalities increased in 22 states
in 2006 and fell in 28 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico,
federal transportation officials said Monday.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released data showing
there were 13,470 deaths in 2006 involving drivers and motorcycle
operators with blood alcohol levels of .08 or higher, which is the legal
limit for adults throughout the country. The number was down slightly
from 2005, when 13,582 people died in crashes involving legally drunk
drivers.
The overall number of deaths involving drivers and motorcycle operators
with any amount of alcohol in their blood was 17,602 last year. That was
up from 17,590 in 2005, according to spokeswoman Heather Ann Hopkins.
"The number of people who died on the nation's roads actually fell last
year," U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters said at a news
conference in this Washington suburb. "However the trend did not extend
to alcohol-related crashes."
Transportation officials announced the new figures as they unveiled a
$11 million nationwide advertising campaign as part of a Labor Day
weekend campaign "Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest."
"This crackdown is very, very, very important because it's the penalties
that are imposed when someone chooses to ignore the law that really have
the ability to make changes," Peters said.
Among states, Arizona, Kansas and Texas had the greatest increases in
number of drunken driving deaths last year. But Utah, Kansas and Iowa
had the largest percentage increases compared with 2005. Texas had the
largest actual number drunken driving deaths with a total of 1,354.
Florida, Missouri and Pennsylvania had the greatest decreases in numbers
of drunken driving deaths last year, while the District of Columbia,
Alaska and Delaware had the largest percentage decreases compared with
2005. The District of Columbia had the smallest actual number of drunken
driving deaths with a total of 12.