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 30 Year Analysis of DUI & Traffic Related Fatalities 

  

1/30/2010 | Contact: Lt. David Parker 907-786-8724
Police Department

An analysis of the last 30 years of Anchorage Police Department Records of traffic fatalities has yielded some interesting information.  From 1980 through 2009 APD has investigated 589 fatal collisions which resulted in 637 deaths.  Of those 589 collisions, alcohol was a factor in 332 or 56.4% of them, either in the victim, the driver who caused the accident or both.  The average ¹ of the blood alcohol level of drivers who caused fatal collisions was 0.200, which is 2 ½ times the prima facie limit of 0.08 for driving while intoxicated.  The statistics also showed that drugs alone were involved in 5.1% of the fatal collisions and drugs plus alcohol were involved in 10.6% of the cases.

In the five year period from January 1, 2004 through December 31, 2009 Anchorage Police Department has made total 10,351 arrests for DWI.  Of those arrested only² for DWI during that period:

• 1 suspect was arrested 5 times;
• 3 suspects were arrested 4 times;
• 47 suspects were arrested 3 times;
• 543 suspects were arrested 2 times;
• 9,107 suspects were arrested 1 time.

According to state computer records, of the total of 48,251 DWI arrests made statewide in the ten year period from 2000 through 2009:

• 38,009 offenders were arrested 1 time;
• 7984 offenders were arrested  2 times;
• 1842 offenders were arrested 3 times;
• 361 offenders were arrested 4 times;
• 44 offenders were arrested 5 times;
• 10 offenders were arrested 6 times;
• 1 offender was arrested 7 times;
• 1 offender was arrested 8 times.

According to the Insurance Information Institute³, 1.5 million arrests of impaired drivers each year in the United States.  Of those arrested, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that one-third are repeat offenders.  Their 2007 data shows that that drivers with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08 or higher involved in fatal crashes were eight times more likely to have a prior conviction for driving while impaired than drivers who had no alcohol in their blood.

Research collected by the National Traffic Law Center and MADD shows that first offenders are seldom caught the first time they drive impaired.  Additional studies have shown that an average of one arrest is made for every 88 instances of driving over the legal limit. Nationally the average BAC for a first offender was 0.16 and for a repeat offender was 0.18.  

  ¹ Average  cited is the average of the annual averages for years in which those statistics are available   
  ²  Some drivers were arrested for DWI as well as another crime such as vehicle theft.   
  ³  See  http://www.iii.org/media/hottopics/insurance/drunk/