Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is raising the alarm over an increase in alcohol-related traffic fatalities reported by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) reported 16,972 alcohol-related highway deaths in 2005, up from 1.7 percent from the 16,694 deaths reported in 2004.

"It is painfully clear that our country's complacency about drunk driving is taking its toll in the loss of precious lives," said MADD president Glynn R. Birch. "Drunk driving is a 100-percent preventable crime. High-visibility enforcement such as checkpoint and roving patrols are perhaps the single best way to bring these numbers down."