Alcohol is a Factor in 39% of All Fatal Traffic Crashes
Advocates calls for state legislators to heed the facts and pass
.08 Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) limits In 1998, nearly
42,000 people were killed in traffic crashes and almost 3.2
million more were injured, at a cost of over $150 billion.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration,
alcohol was a factor in 39 percent of all fatal traffic crashes
in 1998 and seven percent of all crashes that year. Thirty-one
states have laws that set 0.10 percent blood alcohol
concentration (BAC) as the per se limit, making it illegal to
drive with a BAC at or above that level. An illegal per se law
makes it illegal in and of itself to drive with a BAC at or
above the established limit. Under a per se law, a Breathalyzer
test alone is sufficient evidence to go forward with a drunk
driving charge. Only two states, Massachusetts and South
Carolina, do not have a per se law. The probability of having a
crash rises dramatically when a driver reaches