Sobering Numbers for the New Millennium

Y2K? How about BAC.10?

In 1994, one of every 127 licensed drivers in the United States was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. That’s one million, four hundred thousand arrests. Further, in 1995 drunk drivers killed 17,274 of their neighbors. Incredible? It’s true – the numbers come from the National Highway Transportation Safety Agency and the US Department of Transportation.

Closer to home, 1,778 DUI arrests took place in Lee County in 1998, with an official driving population of 356,078. Directly attributable to those arrests were 534 alcohol-related injuries. And among those 1,778 DUIs were the drunken killers of twenty-six human beings. "Motor vehicle crashes, many involving alcohol, are the leading cause of death of young adults – those aged fifteen to twenty-four – in Lee County", reports Glenda Wolnik, Chairperson of the Lee County Injury Prevention Coalition. The annual Tie One On For Safety Red Ribbon Campaign sponsored by the Southwest Florida Chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is a further acknowledgement of the drinking-driving problem, particularly during the holidays.

How many cars do you encounter on an average ride through Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Estero or any other town? That answers varies for each of us, of course, but does it shock you to know that when you’re driving locally, say, along Colonial or down beautiful McGregor Boulevard, or any other road in our county, that last year one of every two hundred drivers you passed had probably been arrested for drunk driving? That’s Lee County’s ratio – better than the national average of 1 in 127, granted, but still regrettable

One could go on and on, quoting numbers …the million dollars each and every death costs …the 45 billion dollar cost to society every year …the BAC (Blood alcohol content) numbers, and assorted legalities. But it’s people who die, one by one. Children, teens, parents, senior citizens. Numbers mean very little to families who’ve lost a loved one to this violent crime. "I’ve seen many cases, both where pregnant women and mothers and their children died violently here in Lee County," recalls Barbara Vermilye, a Registered Nurse. "It’s not only an untimely demise," she says, "but a grotesque way to die."

Yet, there are facts on the positive side, too. Research indicates the following hopeful signs (The following, and much more information on drinking and driving, can be found at the State University of New York at Potsdam’s website, "Drinking and Driving":

• The U.S. has a low traffic fatality rate (drunk , as well as sober) and is a very safe nation in which to drive. And it's been getting safer for decades. There is now only about one death (including the deaths of bicyclists, motorcyclists, pedestrians, auto drivers, and auto passengers) per fifty million vehicle miles traveled.
  
• Drunk driving has decreased dramatically over time.
  
• Alcohol-related fatal traffic crashes have declined steadily since 1987 and recently stood at an 18-year low of 33.6 percent. Additionally, deaths associated with young drinking drivers aged 16 to 24 decreased 47% in a recent 15-year period.
  
• Drinking-related fatalities continue to drop among both adults and young people.
  
• There is only one fatality for every 600,000 miles driven while legally impaired.
  
• Alcohol related traffic fatalities per miles driven dropped 55 percent between 1982 and 1996. The 1997 rate (the latest available) is at an all-time low.

If you or someone you love becomes the victim of a drunk driving crash, call the Southwest Florida Chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving – MADD – at 936-2902, or 800-GET-MADD for victim assistance and support. Further information is available through the Lee County Injury Prevention Coalition, 332-9571.

What You Can Do About Impaired Driving

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) offers the following suggestions to help fight impaired driving:

• Your best defense against a drunk driver is to wear your safety belt and be sure children are properly secured in child safety seats.
• Be a responsible host. Serve food and have non-alcoholic drinks available. Don't let your guests drive after drinking alcohol and never serve alcohol to someone under the age of 21.
• Write letters to the editor of local newspapers expressing your concern over drunk driving and underage drinking in your community.
• Never ride in a car with someone who has been drinking - call a cab or ask a friend to drive you home.
• Support measures to strengthen drunken driving and victims rights laws by contacting elected officials.
• Report drunk drivers immediately to area law enforcement from a car phone or pay phone with the license plate number, description of the vehicle, and the direction in which it was traveling. Keep a safe distance from anyone driving erratically and do not try to intervene yourself.