| The alarming figures with regard to the | | | | means that 500 people die every week and |
| number of deaths caused by car accidents | | | | 71 people die everyday in alcohol |
| that involve alcohol have prompted state | | | | related car accidents.In addition to |
| governments and the Federal Government | | | | these figures, estimates show that the |
| to take critical steps to prevent | | | | economic and societal cost of alcohol |
| fatalities. One of these steps is to | | | | related car accidents are very high. |
| lower the allowable blood alcohol | | | | Alcohol impaired drivers cost American |
| concentration (BAC) from 100 mg/dl to 80 | | | | taxpayers about 21 to 24 billion dollars |
| mg/dl. However, such measures have | | | | a year. Other studies show a much |
| proven to be inadequate as more recent | | | | higher figure of $136 billion dollars is |
| figures show a dramatic increase in | | | | spent on alcohol related accidents. This |
| deaths caused by car accidents involving | | | | is in addition to the huge insurance |
| alcohol. More stringent laws have to be | | | | costs of alcohol related accidents and |
| enacted to prevent these accidents, | | | | the injury, destruction and death that |
| which may include imposing stiffer | | | | come with them.State and Federal |
| penalties for DUI or driving under the | | | | Governments have lowered the allowable |
| influence cases.Recent figures show that | | | | BAC that is aimed at lowering the number |
| instead of the expected decrease in the | | | | of deaths caused by drunk driving. |
| number of alcohol related deaths as a | | | | However, recent figures show that there |
| result of imposing a lower BAC, quite | | | | has been a dramatic increase in the |
| the opposite has occurred. In the last | | | | number of deaths caused by drunk |
| ten years, around 250,000 people died in | | | | driving. Given this, there may be a |
| alcohol related car accidents in the | | | | need for more stringent interventions, |
| United States. Figures show that 16,000 | | | | such as imposing stiffer penalties for |
| people were killed in the year 2000, due | | | | DUI cases. This has the potential of |
| to alcohol related accidents. In 2004, | | | | effectively preventing more deaths |
| that figured climbed to 25,000. This | | | | caused by alcohol related car accidents. |