A recent survey by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) revealed some very interesting statistics about DWI accidents, and the somewhat cavalier attitude toward drinking and driving across the nation.

Specifically, the survey found that one in every 12 drivers confessed to driving while intoxicated on a least one occasion over the course of the previous year, and that one in every five drivers admitted to driving within two hours of consuming an alcoholic beverage over the course of the previous year.

Curiously enough, however, four out of five people surveyed indicated that they consider drinking and driving to be a significant threat to their safety and general welfare.

According to NHTSA officials, drunk driving is a entirely preventable epidemic that claims far too many lives - nearly a third of all fatal accidents in the United States are caused by drunk drivers.

"We could cut fatalities by half if we had 100% seat belt use and eliminated drunk driving," said Vernon Betkey, chairman of the Governors Highway Safety Association.


 In addition to finding that nearly 8 percent of all drivers (roughly 17.2 Americans) have driven drunk, the survey also found the following:

• 8 percent of people rode as a passenger in a car driven by someone they believed was too drunk to drive
• 40 percent of people believed they could drive safely after consuming three drinks
• 11 percent of people believed they could drive safely after consuming five drinks

"We have to do more as a country to close the gap between believing that drunk driving is a threat and actively doing something about it. Impaired driving remains a very serious problem," said David Strickland, an NHTSA Administrator.

Stay tuned for more DWI accident news from our Houston personal injury blog ...

Related Resources:
  
• Government Study: 1 in 12 Drivers Admit Driving Drunk (USA Today)