|
Basic InformationMore Information"I have benefited from AA and the 12 Steps... Very much so!"A Better MeetingAA Is To Shame As A Hot Knife Is To ButterAging and Alcohol UseAlcoholic's Anonymous, Outcomes and New Research on AlcoholismAlcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a Cult ?An Alternative to PowerlessnessAttachment to OutcomesAwakeningConcerning Problems Within AADefining and Understanding the Concept of Denial, Addictions and OtherwiseGauging the Effectiveness of One Component of Alcoholics AnonymousHow Drugs Affect The BrainHuffing: Parents and Kids BewareIts Never Too LateLike Phoenix Risen from the Ashes of Addiction, A New Addiction Recovery ProgramNIDA InfoFacts: Drug Abuse and AIDSNIDA InfoFacts: Drug Addiction Treatment MethodsNIDA InfoFacts: Drugged DrivingNIDA InfoFacts: Pregnancy and Drug Use TrendsNIDA InfoFacts: Understanding Drug Abuse and AddictionOn the Question of Medical MarijuanaPain Pills, A Real PainPerverse MotivationRandom Thoughts About Addiction, Delusions and HallucinationsRecoverySelf-EfficacyStaying Sober: Dealing With TemptationsSteering Versus DriftingThe Author of Your FateThe Enlightened PathThe Impeccable PathThe Mentality of ChildhoodThe OPEN PathThe Paradoxical Sinclair Method For Treating Alcohol DependenceTwo MindsWise Counsel Interview Transcript: An Interview with Annie Fahy, MSW on Motivational InterviewingWise Counsel Interview Transcript: An Interview with John C. Fleming, MD on Preventing AddictionWise Counsel Interview Transcript: An Interview with Laurence Westreich, MD on Helping Families Help Addicted MembersWise Counsel Interview Transcript: An Interview with Marc Kern, Ph.D. on Rational Alternatives to Alcoholics AnonymousWise Counsel Interview Transcript: An interview with Morteza Khaleghi, Ph.D. on the Importance of Treating Emotional Trauma in Addiction Wise Counsel Interview Transcript: An Interview with Patt Denning, Ph.D. on Harm Reduction Psychotherapy for Substance Abuse and AddictionWise Counsel Interview Transcript: An Interview with Stefanie Goldstein, Ph.D. on Mindfulness and Addiction TestsLatest NewsComputer-Based Screening May Reduce Teen Substance AbuseTeen Impulsiveness Has Different Sources in ADHD, Substance UseAccelerated Aging Evident in Cocaine-Dependent IndividualsMany Who First Misuse Prescription Pills Get Them From Friends, Family: ReportCocaine Habit Might Speed Brain AgingUse of Ecstasy, Speed by Teens Tied to Later DepressionHalf of Young Cigarette Smokers Also Smoke Pot: Survey12-Step Meetings May Help Teens Beat Alcohol, Drug AbuseAlcohol Use With Opioids Common Even Without Abuse PastSubstance Abusers, Even Recovering Ones, May Face StigmaDrug, Alcohol Abuse Common Among U.S. Teens, Study FindsAlcohol Effects on Brain Activity Vary With Blackout HistoryPrenatal Meth Exposure Linked to Behavioral ProblemsExcessive Drinking Costs U.S. Colleges Millions AnnuallyKids Using Synthetic Pot a Growing Public Health ConcernSpring Break Boozing May Put Young Brains at RiskMany Alcoholics Suffered Childhood Trauma: StudyGenes Play a Role in Drug Abuse Risk Among Adopted Kids: StudyNarcotic Painkillers Another Threat to Traumatized War Vets: StudyDrinking Scenes in Movies May Spur Teens to Do the SameStrict Underage Drinking Laws May Deter Delinquency in TeensEcstasy Use During Pregnancy May Harm Fetus: StudySupport for Tougher Liquor Laws Rises When Booze, Crime LinkedBooze in Movies May Fuel Teenage Drinking1 in 10 U.S. Kids Lives With Parent Who Has Abused Alcohol: ReportStop-Smoking Drug May Also Curb Problem DrinkingIllicit Drugs Bought Off Internet May Be Poisons, Experts WarnHard Drug Use in Middle Age Could Prove Fatal, Study FindsDrinking Late in First Trimester May Be Most HazardousAlcohol Targets Brain 'Reward Centers' in Heavy DrinkersOne in Six Americans Binge Drink: CDCMeth Users Much More Likely to Try SuicideFor Some Couples, Binge Drinking Is RoutineStates Crack Down on Drunk Drivers This Holiday SeasonDrug Overdoses Kill More Americans Than Car Accidents: CDCAlcohol Use Down, Pot Use Up Among U.S. TeensDrunk Driving-Related Deaths Surge During the Holidays'Ecstasy' May Cause Long-Term Changes in Brain ChemistryToo Much Alcohol Linked to Unsafe Sex, Study ConfirmsIf Parents Drink and Drive, Their Kids May Too: StudySmart Kids More Likely to Try Illicit Drugs as Young AdultsHelping Others Helps Teens Beat Substance AbuseDrugs Slipped Into Drinks Sending Many to ER: ReportHeavy Meth Use Linked to Schizophrenia'Fake Marijuana' May Trigger Heart Trouble in TeensMore Than a Third of Teens Turning to Alcohol, Drugs: StudyMore People Landing in the ER After Abusing Muscle Relaxant: ReportDeaths From Abuse of Painkillers Triple in a Decade: CDCNational Drug Take-Back Day Scheduled for SaturdayPot Can Mimic Brain Changes Seen in Schizophrenia Questions and AnswersLinksBook ReviewsSelf-Help Groups |
| |
Drunk Driving Declines in U.S.
by By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter
Updated: Oct 4th 2011
TUESDAY, Oct. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Despite a 30 percent decline in drunk driving since 2006, drunk drivers still account for almost 11,000 traffic deaths -- one-third of all traffic-related fatalities -- each year in the United States, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Drunk driving incidents peaked in 2006, and decreased nearly one-third through 2010, the agency said in a new report.
Still, drunk drivers got behind the wheel about 112 million times in 2010 -- which amounts to about 300,000 incidents a day.
"The bottom line here is that by self-report, which is undoubtedly an underestimate, Americans got behind the wheel 112 million times last year and endangered themselves and others," CDC Director Dr. Thomas R. Frieden said during a Tuesday news conference.
People need to be more responsible, and communities and governments can do more to protect the public from drunk driving, Freiden added.
The drop in drunk driving might, he said, be due in part to the recession, which could mean more people are drinking at home rather than in bars and restaurants.
"Drunk driving is far too common. This is something that is unacceptable," Frieden said. "It's a public health problem with far reaching effects. It puts everyone in danger -- even the most responsible drivers and pedestrians."
Using data from the 2010 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey, CDC researchers found that men make up 81 percent of drunk drivers. In addition, although men 21 to 34 years old are only 11 percent of the U.S. population, they make up 32 percent of all drunk drivers.
Most drinking and driving episodes (85 percent) were reported by people who also said they binge drink, according to the report.
Moreover, 55 percent of drunk driving episodes were among the 4.5 percent of adults who said they engaged in binge drinking at least four times a month. And these episodes were four times higher among people who reported not wearing a seat belt all the time, compared with those who always wear one, the researchers found.
Ways to prevent drunk driving, according to the CDC, include:
- Sobriety checkpoints where drivers are stopped to see if the driver is drunk. According to the U.S. Transportation Research Board, more of these checkpoints could save 1,500 to 3,000 lives each year.
- Keeping the minimum drinking age at 21 in all states to help prevent young drivers from drinking and driving.
- Requiring convicted drunk drivers to use ignition interlocks that keep the car from starting if they have been drinking. These devices reduce re-arrest rates for drunk driving by about two-thirds, the CDC said.
Frieden noted that despite their effectiveness, sobriety checkpoints are prohibited in 12 states. "There is very strong public support for checkpoints, with 75 percent of respondents in a recent survey by the U.S. Department of Transportation endorsing weekly or monthly sobriety checkpoints," he said.
Ignition interlocks are only used in about 20 percent of drunk driving cases, Frieden said. "We recommend at CDC making interlocks mandatory for all offenders," he said.
Another effective strategy some states use is the graduated drivers license for young drivers, Frieden said. "We think largely as a result of those policies we are seeing substantial reduction in fatalities among 16- to 18-year-old drivers," he said.
Other countries have done more to reduce drunk driving than the United States, Frieden said. "Their rates of motor vehicle crashes are half or two-thirds lower than the U.S. rate, and they drink just as much and they drive just as fast," he said.
"While we have made progress, this is still a huge problem that's a threat to everyone, particularly because there is so much more we can do," he said.
More information
For more information on drunk driving, visit the CDC.
This article: Copyright © 2011 HealthDay. All rights reserved. |
