It is common sense not to drink and drive, but some people just don’t have common sense. There are some drivers who have multiple DUI/DWI convictions, some with 8 or more. Driving while drinking puts everyone at risk. This includes children who may be innocently riding in the vehicle with a drunk driver, not realizing that they are in danger.
Facts About Children Being Killed By Drunk Drivers.
1. Every day, people are confirmed to drive drunk almost 300,000 times, but fewer than 4,000 of those drunk drivers are arrested.
2. 33%. That’s the percentage of all drivers that are arrested and/or convicted for drunk driving that are repeat offenders.
3. Men [15.1%] are more likely than women [7.9%] to get behind the wheel when they are intoxicated.
4. In 2012, 239 child passengers under the age of 14 were killed in drunk driving incidents. This accounts for 20% of all driving related fatalities in this age demographic.
5. 30 people in the United States die in motor vehicle crashes that involve an alcohol-impaired driver at a cost of $59 billion per year.
6. 50% of the children who are killed every year by drunk drivers are passengers in the car of the drunk driver.
7. In 2010, over 1.4 million drivers were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics.
8. Only 1% of the self-reported alcohol-impaired driving incidents results in an arrest.
9. Drunk driving fatalities have decreased 52% since 1982.
10. In 2013, more than three people were killed in drunk driving fatalities for every 100,000 Americans.
11. About 50% of the drivers who are killed in an automotive accident test positive for both alcohol and drugs.
12. 23.4% of drunk drivers are in the 21-25 year old age demographic.
13. Children are 2x more likely to be killed by a drunk driver on Saturday or Sunday compared to the rest of the week.
14. Drunk driving involvement in fatal crashes is 4.5x higher at night than during the day
15. Children who start drinking at a younger age are 7x more likely to kill children later on in life because of drunk driving.
16. Car crashes are the leading cause of teen death, with 1 in 4 crashes being the result of an underage drunk driver.
17. 1 in 6 teens binge drinks, but only 1% of parents believe that their children are binge drinking.
18. 3 out of 4 convicted drunk drivers will still continue to drive, even though they have a suspended license.
19. 2 out of 3 people will be involved in a drunk driving crash at some point in their lifetime.
20. The average drunk driver has taken to the roads an average of 80 times while intoxicated before they are arrested for the first time.
21. Someone is injured once every 52 seconds on average because of the actions of a drunk driver.
Children who are vehicle passengers aren’t the only ones at risk when a drunk driver takes to the road. Kids in crosswalks, riding their bikes along the shoulder of the road, or even walking on a sidewalk are at risk. This is why stopping the epidemic of drunk driving in the world today is so critical. Kids dying because of drunk driving is one of the easiest preventable deaths that can be stopped in the world today. All it takes is a decision to not get behind the wheel.
Why Is Drunk Driving Still Such a Problem?
Even though there has been an emphasis in reducing drunk driving, people are still choosing to get behind the wheel. Because there is such a low likelihood of them being caught, the risks don’t seem to be that bad. After all, about 1 in 3 American drivers admits to drunk driving at least once in the past year. Even with over 1 million arrests, this is just 1% of the total drunk driving incidents that may occur.
The costs of drunk driving are more than just monetary related, although the $800 per year the average person pays because of drunk driving is a serious amount of cash. The cost of a child’s life cannot have a value placed on it. About 200 kids every year die because of drunk driving and half of those deaths are within the vehicle of the drunk driver.
It is clear to see that these deaths are completely preventable. Have common sense when you drink. Designate a driver before you go out or schedule a taxi to come pick you up. It’s better to leave your vehicle somewhere overnight than it is to cause someone’s kid to become another death statistic. The statistics prove that the choices are in your hands.
Make the right choice.