Mission Statement
Our mission is to reduce the personal and societal burden of injury through prevention research, policy, and practice.
2013 Southern CT Conference on the Prevention of Alcohol Impaired Driving
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In the meantime, see the full brochure here.
Introduction to Alcohol Impaired Driving
The burden of injury and toll on human life due to alcohol is staggering. As the most commonly used drug in the U.S., consequences of its misuse persist as major short-term and life-long detriment to individual and community health.
In 2011, 9,878 fatalities occurred in motor vehicle crashes involving a driver with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher. This accounted for 31% percent of all the crash fatalities in the US for 2011 (US DOT, NHTSA, 2013).
Alcohol impaired driving occurs when a drivers BAC is 0.08 g/dL or higher. As a result, any fatal crash involving a driver with a BAC of .08 or higher is a an alcohol impaired-driving crash. Deaths that result in these crashes are alcohol impaired driving fatalities (US DOT, NHTSA, 2013). That means that in 2011, one person was killed every hour of every day in an alcohol-related crash.
Impaired Driving in Connecticut
In 2011, 220 people were killed and hundreds more injured in the state of Connecticut in motor vehicle crashes. Of those that died, 92 (42%) were alcohol impaired driving fatalities (BAC 0.08+). While progress continues to be made in the state to reduce the number of alcohol impaired crash fatalities and injuries, concerted efforts by communities, traffic and highway safety advocates and experts, law enforcement, and policy makers needs to remain intentionally directed to eliminate this disease.
