Driving Drunk: Results of Study Are Disturbing

A study was just published by the Substance and Mental Health Services Administration that I find very interesting and disturbing at the same time.

15% of drivers nationwide have admitted to driving under the influence at least once in the past year from 2004-2006. Startling...that means more people are putting their lives and innocent lives on the road with them in jeopardy each day and night.

Which state has the worst drunk driving rate? Wisconsin tops the list...so I fear for people in the "Dairy State". More than a quarter of the state's adult drivers had driven under the influence. Rounding out the worst five are North Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska and South Dakota. Apparently this is a trend in the midwest.

Utah had the lowest incidence of drunken driving. It was the only state where fewer than 10 percent of adult motorists reported driving under the influence. West Virginia, Arkansas, Kentucky and North Carolina all had drunken driving rates for the prior year of less than 11 percent.

Where does New York rate in the study? Somewhere in the middle - 12.42% to 13.81% admit to driving under the influence. That's still too high of a rate in my opinion. It would be nice if
New York would rate at the bottom of the list. It's wishful thinking at this point, but something that I'd like to see change very soon.

With so many innocent lives on the road each day, it's very scary to me that people continue to make the choice to drink and drive and put so many lives in jeopardy each day. My sister and all those innocent victims is the reason why I continue to speak out against drunk driving, and why I work to change the mindset in the community.