Alcohol: Facts and Statistics
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Contrary to myth, fewer poor people drink — and they drink less — than wealthier people:
References:
Hilton, M. The demographic distribution of drinking problems in 1984. In: Clark, W. and M. Hilton eds. Alcohol in America: Drinking Practices and Problems in a National Survey. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press. 1991. Pp: 73-104
Lee, M. Drowning in alcohol: retail outlet density, economic decline, and revitalization in South L.A. San Rafael, CA: Marin Institute for the Prevention of Alcohol and Other Drug Problems. 1998.
Mosher, J. The alcohol policy slide set series: resources for organizing and advocacy. San Rafael, CA: The Marin Institute for the Prevention of Alcohol and Other Drug Problems, in cooperation with The Trauma Foundation. July 1997.
Troutt, D. The thin red line: how the poor still pay more. San Francisco, CA: West Coast Regional Office, Consumers Union of the U.S. 1993.
ARRESTS
The highest prevalence of both binge and heavy drinking in 2000 was for young adults aged 18 to 25, with the peak rate occurring at age 21. (SAMHSA, 2000)
Alcohol is closely linked with violence. About 40% of all crimes (violent and non-violent) are committed under the influence of alcohol. (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1998)
Beer is the drink most commonly consumed by peole stopped for alcohol-impaired driving or involved in alcohol-related crashes. (IIHS, 2003)
The impact of alcohol involvement increases with injury severity. Alcohol-involved crashes accounted for 10% of property damage-only crash costs, 21% of nonfatal injury crashes, and 46% of fatal injury crash costs. (NHTSA, 2002)
In 2002, 31% of all fatal crashes during the week were alcohol-related, compared to 54% on weekends. For all crashes, the alcohol involvement rate was 4% during the week and 11% during the weekend. (NHTSA, 2003)
The average person metabolizes at the rate of one drink per hour. Only time will sober a person up. Drinking strong coffee, exercising or taking a cold shower will not help. (Michigan State University, 2002)
For fatal crashes occurring from midnight to 3am, 79% involved alcohol. (NHTSA, 2001)
For more information and statistics, visit www.madd.com.
TAXES
Research suggests alcohol tax increases result in decrease in alcohol-related violence and crime. One study estimates that doubling the federal beer excise tax between 1975 and 1990 would have reduced homicides and rapes by 3% annually.
An alcohol tax increase adjusted for inflation from 1975 to 1988 would have saved between 3,300 and 3,700 lives per year.
A recent study estimates that raising the price of beer by 10% would have a dramatic impact on college students' behavior, including:
Frank J. Chaloupka and Henry Saffer, 1992, "Illegal Drugs, Public Policy and Crime." Presented at the annual meeting of the Western Economic Association, San Francisco, California, July 1992.
Michael Grossman and Sara Markowitz. Alcohol regulation and violence on college campuses. Paper presented at the Allied Social Science Associations Annual Convention in Chicago, Illinois, January 3-5, 1998.
Donald S. Kenkel. Drinking, driving, and detterence: The effectiveness and social costs of alternative policies. Journal of Law and Economics 36:877-913. 1993.
DRIVING
The Problem:
Programs that involve multiple strategies focuses on an entire community are a promising means for reducing alcohol-related problems. Fatal crashes involving alcohol dropped by 42% and fatal crashes in which the driver was legally intoxicated declined by 47% in the six Massachusetts cities participating in the Saving Lives Program, compared to the rest of the state.
Alcohol Control Policies
Dram shop liability laws can reduce alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes. Texas experienced a 6.5% decrease in single vehicle night-time injury crashes immediately after a liability case was filed in 1983, and an additional 5.3% decrease after another case was filed in 1984. Forty-three states currently have dram shop laws.
References:
Chaloupka, F.J., H. Saffer, and M. Grossman. Alcohol-control policies and motor-vehicle fatalities. Journal of Legal Studies 23:161-186.1993.
Cook, P.J. The effect of liquor taxes on drinking, cirrhosis, and auto accidents. In: Moore, M.H. and D.R. Gerstein, eds. Alcohol and Public Policy: Beyond the Shadow of Prohibition. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press, 1981. Pp. 255-285.
Hingson, R., T. Heeren, and M. Winter. Lowering legal blood alcohol limits for young drivers. Public Health Reports 109(6):739-744.1994.
Hingson, R. Prevention of drinking and driving. Alcohol Health and Research World 20(4):219-226. 1996.
Klein, T. Method for estimating posterior BAC distribution for persons involved in fatal crashes. DOT HS 807 094. Washington, D.C.: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 1986.
Lacey, J., R. Jones, and J. Fell. The Effectiveness of the Checkpoint Tennessee Program. 40th Proceedings, 14th International conference on Alcohol, Drugs, and Traffic Safety, September 1-6, 1997.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Fatal Accident Reporting System. 1997a.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. A guide to sentencing DUI offenders. DOT HS 808 365. Washington D.C., 1996.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Setting limits, saving lives. The case for .08 BAC laws. DOT HS 808 524, 1997b.
Stuster, J.W. , and P.A. Blowers. Experimental evaluation of sobriety checkpoint programs. Washington, D.C.: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 1995.
Wagenaar, A.C. and H.D. Holder. Effects of alcoholic beverage server liability on traffic crash injuries. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research 15(6):942-947. 1991.
Wells-Parker, E., R.B. Drowns, R. McMillen, and M. Williams. Final results from a meta-analysis of remedial interventions with DUI offenders. Addiction 7(1):45-58. 1995.
Zador, P.L., A.K. Lund, M. Fields, and K. Weinberg. Fatal crash involvement and laws against alcohol impaired driving. Journal of Public Health Policy 10:467-485. 1989.
Contrary to myth, fewer poor people drink — and they drink less — than wealthier people:
- 33% of men and 51% of women with annual incomes of $10,000 or less are abstainers, compared with 9% of men and 19% of women with incomes greater than $40,000
- 14.9% of men and 4.5% of women with annual incomes of $10,000 or less report experiencing a high level of alcohol-related consequences, compared with 7,9% of men and 0% of women with incomes greater than $40,000
References:
Hilton, M. The demographic distribution of drinking problems in 1984. In: Clark, W. and M. Hilton eds. Alcohol in America: Drinking Practices and Problems in a National Survey. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press. 1991. Pp: 73-104
Lee, M. Drowning in alcohol: retail outlet density, economic decline, and revitalization in South L.A. San Rafael, CA: Marin Institute for the Prevention of Alcohol and Other Drug Problems. 1998.
Mosher, J. The alcohol policy slide set series: resources for organizing and advocacy. San Rafael, CA: The Marin Institute for the Prevention of Alcohol and Other Drug Problems, in cooperation with The Trauma Foundation. July 1997.
Troutt, D. The thin red line: how the poor still pay more. San Francisco, CA: West Coast Regional Office, Consumers Union of the U.S. 1993.
ARRESTS
- Approximately 1.5 million drivers were arrested in 2000 for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics. This is an arrest rate of 1 for every 130 licensed drivers in the United States. (National Highway Traffic Safety Association, 2002)
- In 2001, about 1,461 fatalities occurred in crashes involving alcohol-impaired or intoxicated drivers who had at least one previous DWI conviction — about 8.4% of all alcohol-related traffic fatalities. (Runge, 2003)
The highest prevalence of both binge and heavy drinking in 2000 was for young adults aged 18 to 25, with the peak rate occurring at age 21. (SAMHSA, 2000)
Alcohol is closely linked with violence. About 40% of all crimes (violent and non-violent) are committed under the influence of alcohol. (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1998)
Beer is the drink most commonly consumed by peole stopped for alcohol-impaired driving or involved in alcohol-related crashes. (IIHS, 2003)
The impact of alcohol involvement increases with injury severity. Alcohol-involved crashes accounted for 10% of property damage-only crash costs, 21% of nonfatal injury crashes, and 46% of fatal injury crash costs. (NHTSA, 2002)
In 2002, 31% of all fatal crashes during the week were alcohol-related, compared to 54% on weekends. For all crashes, the alcohol involvement rate was 4% during the week and 11% during the weekend. (NHTSA, 2003)
The average person metabolizes at the rate of one drink per hour. Only time will sober a person up. Drinking strong coffee, exercising or taking a cold shower will not help. (Michigan State University, 2002)
For fatal crashes occurring from midnight to 3am, 79% involved alcohol. (NHTSA, 2001)
For more information and statistics, visit www.madd.com.
TAXES
Research suggests alcohol tax increases result in decrease in alcohol-related violence and crime. One study estimates that doubling the federal beer excise tax between 1975 and 1990 would have reduced homicides and rapes by 3% annually.
An alcohol tax increase adjusted for inflation from 1975 to 1988 would have saved between 3,300 and 3,700 lives per year.
A recent study estimates that raising the price of beer by 10% would have a dramatic impact on college students' behavior, including:
- A 4.5% drop in the rate at which students get in trouble with police, residence hall, or other college authorities
- A 5.5% drop in the rate at which students damage property
- A 3.4% drop in the rate at which students get into arguments or fights
- A 3.6% drop in the rate at which students take advantage of another person sexually or are taken advantage of sexually.
Frank J. Chaloupka and Henry Saffer, 1992, "Illegal Drugs, Public Policy and Crime." Presented at the annual meeting of the Western Economic Association, San Francisco, California, July 1992.
Michael Grossman and Sara Markowitz. Alcohol regulation and violence on college campuses. Paper presented at the Allied Social Science Associations Annual Convention in Chicago, Illinois, January 3-5, 1998.
Donald S. Kenkel. Drinking, driving, and detterence: The effectiveness and social costs of alternative policies. Journal of Law and Economics 36:877-913. 1993.
DRIVING
The Problem:
- In 2001, more than half a million people were injured in crashes where police reported that alcohol was present — an average of one person injured approximately every 2 minutes.
- About one in every five Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related traffic crash at some point in their lives.
- In 2000, alcohol-related crashes accounted for an estimated 18% of the $103 billion in U.S. auto insurance payments. Reducing alcohol-related crashes by 10% would save $1.8 billion in claims payments and loss adjustment expenses.
- Minimum legal drinking age of 21 has prevented more than 16,500 traffic deaths since 1976.
- Zero tolerance laws for underage drinkers are effective in reducing underage drinking, especially when the law has been amply publicized. All states currently have such laws.
- Administrative license revocation has been associated with a 5-6% decline in alcohol-related traffic crashes. It allows an officer to confiscate a driver's license if the driver's blood alcohol concentration exceeds the legal limit.
- Sobriety checkpoints help reduce alcohol-related traffic crashes.
Programs that involve multiple strategies focuses on an entire community are a promising means for reducing alcohol-related problems. Fatal crashes involving alcohol dropped by 42% and fatal crashes in which the driver was legally intoxicated declined by 47% in the six Massachusetts cities participating in the Saving Lives Program, compared to the rest of the state.
Alcohol Control Policies
Dram shop liability laws can reduce alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes. Texas experienced a 6.5% decrease in single vehicle night-time injury crashes immediately after a liability case was filed in 1983, and an additional 5.3% decrease after another case was filed in 1984. Forty-three states currently have dram shop laws.
References:
Chaloupka, F.J., H. Saffer, and M. Grossman. Alcohol-control policies and motor-vehicle fatalities. Journal of Legal Studies 23:161-186.1993.
Cook, P.J. The effect of liquor taxes on drinking, cirrhosis, and auto accidents. In: Moore, M.H. and D.R. Gerstein, eds. Alcohol and Public Policy: Beyond the Shadow of Prohibition. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press, 1981. Pp. 255-285.
Hingson, R., T. Heeren, and M. Winter. Lowering legal blood alcohol limits for young drivers. Public Health Reports 109(6):739-744.1994.
Hingson, R. Prevention of drinking and driving. Alcohol Health and Research World 20(4):219-226. 1996.
Klein, T. Method for estimating posterior BAC distribution for persons involved in fatal crashes. DOT HS 807 094. Washington, D.C.: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 1986.
Lacey, J., R. Jones, and J. Fell. The Effectiveness of the Checkpoint Tennessee Program. 40th Proceedings, 14th International conference on Alcohol, Drugs, and Traffic Safety, September 1-6, 1997.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Fatal Accident Reporting System. 1997a.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. A guide to sentencing DUI offenders. DOT HS 808 365. Washington D.C., 1996.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Setting limits, saving lives. The case for .08 BAC laws. DOT HS 808 524, 1997b.
Stuster, J.W. , and P.A. Blowers. Experimental evaluation of sobriety checkpoint programs. Washington, D.C.: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 1995.
Wagenaar, A.C. and H.D. Holder. Effects of alcoholic beverage server liability on traffic crash injuries. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research 15(6):942-947. 1991.
Wells-Parker, E., R.B. Drowns, R. McMillen, and M. Williams. Final results from a meta-analysis of remedial interventions with DUI offenders. Addiction 7(1):45-58. 1995.
Zador, P.L., A.K. Lund, M. Fields, and K. Weinberg. Fatal crash involvement and laws against alcohol impaired driving. Journal of Public Health Policy 10:467-485. 1989.
