Citing DUI Death Increase, MADD Gives Nation 'C'November 22, 2002
Research Summary
Complacency is being blamed for the number of drunk-driving deaths in the United States increasing by 876 last year, the Associated Press reported Nov. 21.According to the "Rating the States" report issued by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), the number of deaths linked to drunken driving rose from 16,572 in 1999 to 17,448 in 2001.
MADD President Wendy Hamilton attributed the increase to complacency. "We've got about 300 people getting killed every single week in this country in completely preventable crashes," Hamilton said.
The report rates each state and the country as a whole on efforts to stop drunken driving. The grades are based on the number of alcohol-related crashes in each state, trends in the number of deaths, and state laws that are already in place.
The nation earned a C, a drop from 1999's C-plus rating. California received the highest mark with a B-plus, while Montana was the only state to flunk. The report cited the state's failure to enact 0.08 percent as the legal blood-alcohol limit and make failure to use a seat belt a primary traffic violation.
The MADD report made several recommendations to lower the number of deaths from drunken driving. They include stricter penalties against drivers who refuse alcohol tests when stopped, who are caught driving with licenses that were suspended for an earlier drunk-driving arrest, or who have a blood-alcohol level of 0.15 percent or more.
COMMENTS ON THIS ARTICLE: