DUI/DWI News

Driving Under The Influence (DUI) Among Teenagers

Motor vehicle crashes were the leading cause of death among young persons aged 16 to 20 in 2002.1 In that year, 6,327 persons aged 16 to 20 were involved in fatal crashes, representing a 10 percent increase since 1999. In addition, 29 percent of drivers aged 15 to 20 who were killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2002 had been drinking alcohol.2 The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) asks persons aged 12 or older if they had driven a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or illicit drugs in the past year3 and if they had been arrested for driving under the influence (DUI).4 The survey also asks about the use of alcohol and any illicit drugs in the past year and past month.

Alcohol measures used in this report include any past month use, binge use, and heavy use. Binge alcohol use is defined as drinking five or more drinks on the same occasion (i.e., at the same time or within a couple of hours of each other) on at least 1 day in the past 30 days. Heavy alcohol use is defined as drinking five or more drinks on the same occasion on each of 5 or more days in the past 30 days; all heavy alcohol users also are binge alcohol users. NSDUH defines "illicit drugs" to include marijuana/hashish, cocaine (including crack), inhalants, hallucinogens, heroin, or prescription-type drugs used nonmedically.

This report presents the prevalence of DUI involving alcohol or illicit drugs, as well as the prevalence of being arrested for DUI among persons aged 16 to 20.5 To improve the reliability of estimates for population subgroups, all estimates presented in this report are annual averages based on combined data from the 2002 and 2003 NSDUH. However, the prevalence of DUI involving alcohol or illicit drugs among persons aged 16 to 20 was lower in 2003 (20 percent) than in 2002 (22 percent).

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	Did You Know?
	A well known is the fact that the consumption of alcohol can cause impairment Perhaps less recognized is that fact that impairment rises gradually at a lower level but dramatically at a higher level of blood alcohol concentration BAC. About half of auto fatalities involve drivers with BACs of .16 or higher. Impairment occurs at a lower level, but it's especially important to prevent driving with high BACs.