Alcohol Involvement in Fatal Crashes, 1998

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Alcohol Involvement in Fatal Crashes, 1998

This report presents estimates of alcohol involvement in fatal traffic crashes that occurred during 1998. Several comparisons of alcohol involvement for the period 1982-1998 are presented to illustrate changes and trends. The data are abstracted from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and represent a combination of actual blood alcohol concentration (BAC) test results and estimated BAC distributions for those drivers and nonoccupants for whom no BAC test results are available. The estimates are made using a model developed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In 1998, 30 percent of all traffic fatalities involved at least one driver or nonoccupant with BAC of 0.10 or greater (in this report, a BAC of 0.10 or greater is synonymous with intoxication). This represents a reduction of 35 percent from 1982, when 46 percent of all fatalities occurred in crashes that involved an intoxicated active participant.