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In order to give you a clearer picture of why Safe Rides Unlimited was established we have gathered some important hard facts about young drivers who choose to drive drunk.
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  • According to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2003, 17,013 people were killed in alcohol-related crashes - an average of one almost every half-hour. These deaths constituted approximately 40 percent of the 42,642 total traffic fatalities.

    Drunk Driving: 2.1 million students between the ages of 18 and 24 drove under the influence of alcohol last year; an estimated 110,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are arrested for an alcohol-related violation such as public drunkenness or driving under the influence (Hingson et al., 2002).

    Death: 1,400 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 die each year from alcohol-related unintentional injuries, including motor vehicle crashes; 500,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are unintentionally injured under the influence of alcohol (Hingson et al., 2002).

    Academic Problems: About 25 percent of college students report academic consequences of their drinking including missing class, falling behind, doing poorly on exams or papers, and receiving lower grades overall (Engs et al., 1996; Presley et al., 1996a, 1996b; Wechsler et al., 2002).

        • More than 100,000 U.S. deaths are caused by excessive alcohol consumption each year. Direct and indirect causes of death include drunk driving, cirrhosis of the liver, falls, cancer, and stroke.1

        • At least once a year, the guidelines for low risk drinking are exceeded by an estimated 74% of male drinkers and 72% of female drinkers aged 21 and older.2

           
        • 65% of youth surveyed said that they got the alcohol they drink from family and friends.7

        • Nearly 14 million Americans meet diagnostic criteria for alcohol use disorders.5

        • Youth who drink alcohol are 50 times more likely to use cocaine than those who never drink alcohol.3

        • Among current adult drinkers, more than half say they have a blood relative who is or was an alcoholic or problem drinker.1

        • Across people of all ages, males are four times as likely as females to be heavy drinkers.1

        • More than 18% of Americans experience alcohol abuse or alcohol dependence at some time in their lives.6

        • Traffic crashes are the greatest single cause of death for persons aged 6–33. About 45% of these fatalities are in alcohol-related crashes.4

        • Underage drinking costs the United States more than $58 billion every year — enough to buy every public school student a state-of-the-art computer.2

        • Alcohol is the most commonly used drug among young people.1

        • Problem drinkers average four times as many days in the hospital as nondrinkers — mostly because of drinking-related injuries.1

        • Alcohol kills 6½ times more youth than all other illicit drugs combined.2

        • Concerning the past 30 days, 50% of high school seniors report drinking, with 32% report being drunk at least once.2
        Sources
             1  Substance Abuse: The Nation’s Number One Health Problem, Feb. 2001
             2  Mothers Against Drunk Driving
             3  National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse
             4  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
             5  Alcohol Health & Research World
             6  National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Analysis
             7  The Century Council