MADD and Government Officials Agree: High BAC Drivers - Not Social Drinkers - Are the True Drunk Driving Problem

'In Their Own Words' (Second in a Series)

WASHINGTON, Dec. 4 -- The true source of the nation's drunk driving problem is a small population of alcohol abusers with high blood alcohol concentrations (BAC) or prior drunk driving convictions, according to traffic safety experts cited in a new report by the American Beverage Institute (ABI). Yet, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and other anti- alcohol groups continue to promote the use of roadblocks and PR campaigns to deter responsible adults who drink moderately -- despite the overwhelming evidence that roadblocks fail to reach the source of the drunk driving problem: the alcohol abuser.

"Clearly, the implication here is that the usual stuff isn't working. We have to make some sort of change in our alcohol programming to turn this trend around. ... [W]e did something right, back in the late 80s, early 90s, and we're not managing to really do that now."

- Jeffrey Michael, Director of Impaired Driving & Occupant Protection Division of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

"Alcohol-related occupant fatalities [in 2002] -- up a total of 3%, and it's all coming out of the high-BAC data source. In fact, it's high BAC despite the reduction of low BACs."

- Jeffrey Michael, NHTSA

"[H]alf of all non-sober drivers involved in fatal crashes in 2001 are above 0.16, which is twice the legal limit of intoxication, namely 0.08."

- NHTSA 2003 Report

"Nearly one-third of drivers arrested or convicted of drunk driving each year are repeat offenders."

- MADD News Release

"It's a hard-core drinking driver that we're talking about here ... You know, we know we've got the cure for this. It's called enforcement. It's focusing on the high-risk drivers. ... "

- Wendy Hamilton, president of MADD

To view "In Their Own Words," visit www.AmericanBeverageInstitute.com. The American Beverage Institute is an association of restaurants and on- premise retailers committed to the responsible serving of adult beverages.

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