Midwest has worst drunk driving states
WASHINGTON (AP) - April 23, 2008 Wisconsin leads the way. The federal government estimates more
than a quarter of the state's adult drivers had driven under the
influence. Rounding out the worst five are North Dakota, Minnesota,
Nebraska and South Dakota.
Utah had the lowest incidence of drunken driving. It was the
only state where fewer than 10 percent of adult motorists reported
driving under the influence. Following closely behind were a slew
of Southern states that often fare poorly when it comes to
government health statistics. This time, however, they're serving
as models. West Virginia, Arkansas, Kentucky and North Carolina all
had drunken driving rates for the prior year of less than 11
percent.
The report on drunken driving relies on data obtained from the
National Survey on Drug Use and Health. The survey, based on a
scientific random sample of households, asked 127,283 adults in
2004, 2005 and 2006 whether they had driven under the influence in
the past year. Health experts say the state-by-state breakdowns
support other surveys showing that residents in northern states are
more likely to engage in heavy alcohol consumption.
"It's not surprising, but it means that these jurisdictions
should take this data and think about how they approach public
education campaigns and enforcement campaigns," said Dr. H.
Westley Clark of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration, which released the report. The agency is a part of
the Department of Health and Human Services.
Eric Goplerud, research professor at George Washington
University Medical Center, said cultural and demographic issues
probably have a role in the higher rates of driving under the
influence in certain states. He said that religious affiliations in
the Southeast often strongly discourage drinking, but that doesn't
occur so much in the upper Midwest.
"A good part of the social life is around drinking," said
Goplerud, who is also director of Ensuring Solutions to Alcohol
Problems, which call for increased access to treatment programs.
Also, blacks drink at substantially lower rates and at less
hazardous rates than whites, he said. The populations in those
states are heavily white.
Jeffrey Ratliff-Crain, associate professor of psychology at the
University of Minnesota-Morris, noted that the Minnesota
Legislature is considering a bill that would let bars stay open
until 4 a.m. during the Republican National Convention, pouring
more money into the economy.
"We're making it easier to drink to all hours of the night, but
(drinking and driving) didn't come into the discussion,"
Ratliff-Crain said. "There is a seeming acceptance that this is
the way it is. Of course people are going to be drinking and
driving, and well, that's it."
Clark said states with the lowest rates for driving under the
influence shouldn't take comfort in the data.
"Even in Utah, which reported the nation's lowest rate, nearly
one in 10 drivers report driving under the influence of alcohol
within the past year," Clark said. "So, even in states that have
low consumption rates or low DUI rates, they too need to reflect on
the approach they're taking. We don't want people to lull
themselves into a false sense of security."
A majority of Utah residents are Mormon. The religion bars the
use of alcohol.
It's illegal to drive with a blood alcohol level of 0.08 percent
or higher.
In the past decade, the number of impaired drivers involved in
alcohol-related crashes has remained relatively stable - from
12,348 in 1996 to 12,491 in 2006. Those figures cover drivers with
a blood-alcohol level of 0.08 percent or higher.
The federal government also released estimates of driving under
the influence of illicit drugs. The rates were highest in the
District of Columbia, 7 percent; Rhode Island, 6.8 percent; and
Massachusetts, 6.4 percent.
The states with the lowest rates for driving under the influence
of illicit drugs within the past year were New Jersey, 3.2 percent;
Alabama, 3.4 percent; and North Dakota and South Dakota, 3.5
percent.
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On the Net:
The report can be found at: http://www.samhsa.gov/