Century Council Blog
Drunk driving statistics and facts
Many people are now thinking of Thanksgiving, family gatherings and turkey feasts, but for some this holiday also means a lot of driving. In 2008, there were 502 traffic fatalities during the Thanksgiving weekend, including 179 (or 36%) drunk driving fatalities.
On the eve of this holiday The Century Council has released its annual summary of alcohol-impaired traffic fatalities from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The report presents the latest available state-by-state as well as trend data in easy to read graphs.
In 2008 historic low levels of drunk driving fatalities, that is fatalities involving a driver or motorcycle operator with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level of .08 or higher, were reported overall and among persons under 21 years of age. Since the inception of The Century Council in 1991, drunk driving has declined 26% nationally, and among persons under 21 the decline has been even more significant, decreasing 48%. Unfortunately, the median BAC level among drinking drivers in fatal crashes remains at .16, twice the legal limit, and hardcore drunk drivers continue account for an unequal proportion of alcohol-impaired driving fatalities. In 2008, hardcore drunk drivers were responsible for 68% of the alcohol-impaired traffic fatalities, and drivers with a BAC of .15 or higher in fatal crashes were nine times more likely to be repeat offenders than drivers with no alcohol.
The Century Council has demonstrated a long-standing commitment to fighting drunk driving and underage drinking – two of society’s top safety concerns – and will continue to support the enactment of comprehensive drunk driving legislation. Much progress has been made over the past 18 years in terms of drunk driving. While The Century Council cannot claim sole responsibility for these significant reductions, The Century Council has been a leader in reaching these record low levels. We hope the information presented in the report will serve as a useful reference tool in the fight to eliminate drunk driving this holiday and in the coming year.
Congressmen awarded for their efforts
Continuing to honor exceptional Members of Congress, The Century Council presented three more awards to our 2009 partners.
Senator David Vitter (R-LA) understands the dangers of underage drinking and supports efforts to educate our nation’s youth on these dangers. In the spring of this year, he participated in our Ask, Listen, Learn event on Capitol Hill.
Congresswoman Mary Fallin (R-OK) has been a longtime partner of The Century Council and has been an excellent partner on educational programs in her state and community. This year, she supported our efforts on Capitol Hill for Take Your Daughters and Sons to Work Day.
We also presented an award to Congressman Ron Kind (D-WI). Congressman Kind was a partner during our Ask, Listen, Learn event on Capitol Hill where we asked youth to have a conversation about alcohol with their parents. Additionally, Congressman Kind is the sponsor of HR 1585, The FIT Kids Act. The Century Council supports Congressman Kind and his efforts to encourage America’s youth to stay healthy and active.
We congratulate all of our award recipients! Continue to check our blog for more updates as The Century Council presents additional awards this fall.
"An Open Letter to My Son on His 16th Birthday"
This post was reprinted with permission from the author, Lori Landau, originally published at New Jersey Mom's blog.
A few days ago you took me for a drive in our car. Just before you backed out of the garage, you spent a moment adjusting the seat and the mirrors so that it fit you. As you fiddled with the seat control, you probably weren't thinking about the fact that the ride ahead would require an adjustment for me too.
For sixteen years now, I have been the one in the driver's seat. I have wracked up hundreds of thousands of miles driving you to music lessons and football, marching band and school. I have driven you to friend's houses and museums, restaurants and recreation. I have always made sure you were strapped in, prepared for whatever we were doing. I have done whatever I could to keep you safe.
Now that you've gotten your permit, you (apparently) are now ready to assume that responsibility for yourself, to literally and figuratively take a new step in navigating your own life. And I want you to know a few things before you take the wheel.
When you were a child, I often asked you to consider "what happens next," before you made decisions. We practiced that thought process over and over and over and over in countless scenarios. I purposely taught you to think ahead so that the voice in your own head would take over for me. It was my plan that when you were making big decisions, you would have your own internal ability to reason things through responsibly.
The Century Council thanks Congressman Jim Himes
Last week, The Century Council honored Congressman Jim Himes for his support of efforts to curb underage drinking. During all the important debate and activities that he was involved in, we were excited that he was able to accept our recognition in person!
We look forward to working with him to bring more educational programs to his district and thank him for his continued dedication to stopping underage drinking.
See the press release here.
Congressmen recognized for fighting underage drinking and drunk driving
Continuing to honor outstanding Members of Congress, The Century Council presented three awards to Members of Congress who have been leaders in the fight against drunk driving and underage drinking.
Our first award of the afternoon was given to Congressman Mike McIntyre (D-NC) who works diligently to prevent underage drinking in his community. He supported The Century Council's efforts during an event on Capitol Hill for Take Your Daughters and Sons to Work Day.
We then visited one of the co-chairs of the Congressional Stop DUI Caucus, Congresswoman Shelley Berkley (D-NV). She has worked tirelessly for many years to educate her constituents, and the nation, on the dangers of drunk driving and underage drinking. She has brought educational programs to her home town and has helped bring them to her colleagues in Congress. We look forward to continuing the good work we have done together.
We finished our day with a visit to Congressman John Mica (R-FL). He hosted underage drinking education programs in two high schools this spring. He is the ranking member on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and has been a key leader in crafting the reauthorization of the highway bill which includes a focus on DWI courts and judicial and prosecutorial education.
Congratulations to all of our award recipients. We applaud your leadership and look forward to continuing our partnership on preventing drunk driving and underage drinking.
The Century Council thanks and awards congressmen who made a difference
Yesterday, The Century Council spent the afternoon on Capitol Hill honoring Members of Congress who have been outstanding leaders in the fight to stop drunk driving and underage drinking.
We began the afternoon with Congressman Heath Shuler (D-NC) who is committed to preventing underage drinking in his district and across the nation. We enjoyed working with him to reach high school students in 2009 as we have done in previous years and look forward to teaming up again.
Next we paid a visit to Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) who is the co-Chair of the Congressional Stop DUI Caucus. She has worked tirelessly to prevent underage drinking and also in 2009 to highlight the need for DWI courts and judicial/prosecutorial education to ensure effective adjudication of drunk driving cases.
We moved on to a presentation for Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) who as a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will have a leadership role in reauthorizing the nation’s highway bill. This year we worked with her to prevent underage drinking in Dallas, Texas.
We ended our day with Congressman Leonard Boswell (D-IA) who has helped to prevent underage drinking in his district by spreading the message to middle school aged children and their parents that maintaining a healthy lifestyle means saying no to underage drinking.
Congratulations to our award recipients. We applaud your leadership and are ever thankful for your work.