Survey: People Have Reasons For Drunk Driving.

Plenty of reports get issued each year compiling data on drunk driving: how many arrests, collisions, and deaths are caused by this preventable problem. Given the consequences of drunk driving, one wonders why one would even attempt it. What are the reasons for drunk driving?

That question needs a report of its own, and recently the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF) published it’s annual road safety report to ask the question.

The researchers asked questions to try to learn why people got behind the wheel when they had been drinking. The results are telling: almost half the respondents thought they were OK to drive, despite being over the legal limit of .08 percent BAC. The reinforces that at higher BACs, judgement is impaired.

Others drove drunk for other reasons.  Twelve percent of respondents did it because they didn’t have far to drive. About 10 percent thought they could make it home if they drove carefully.

New Options Make It Easier To Have None For the Road

With the popularity of ride sharing services, raising the legal drinking age to 21 and a national, long term effort to raise awareness of the dangers and drinking and driving, progress has been made in reducing death and injury across the nation.  But this is a preventable problem.   Many courts have introduced specialty programs for DWI/DUI offenders to help address the problems of alcohol use disorders and get people the help they need with problem drinking.

At LIfeSafer, we strive every day to provide people with tools to help prevent impaired driving and drive towards zero deaths.