August 17, 2006
The feds are getting tough on drunken driving as the U.S. Department of Transportation launches a "massive media and enforcement crackdown" on drinking and driving an all 50 states.
The campaign includes an $11-million television advertising blitz that will replace the previous "Friends don't let friends drive drunk" slogan with "Drunk driving -- over the limit, under arrest."
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration compiled new state-by-state and national data for 2005 showing that alcohol-impaired driving remains a severe problem. Last year there were 16,885 alcohol-related fatalities in traffic crashes, a figure nearly unchanged during the last decade.
NHTSA Administrator Nicole Nason said the decision to get tougher with drunken drivers came after a decade of small reductions in fatalities despite arrests that totaled 1.4 million in 2004.
"Alcohol and automobiles are a lethal combination," said. "That is why we are working closely with our law enforcement and national advocacy partners to get even tougher on drunk drivers."
"This is not a friend asking a friend to not drive drunk," Nason said. The message is "it's illegal to drink and drive, and you're going to go to jail for it."
The new TV, radio and Web ads, in both English and Spanish, will run nationally on programs viewed primarily by 21- to 34-year-old males. According to the most recent data, the highest percentage of drivers in alcohol-related fatal crashes are male drivers ages 21 to 34 (33 percent), followed by males age 35 to 44 (25 percent).
During the past decade, federal officials and groups such as Mothers Against Drunk Drivers pushed for tougher penalties against drunken drivers. Every state has now set its definition of drunk at the 0.08 blood alcohol level.
The changes have contributed to the growth of a network of companies and attorneys who defend people charged with drunken driving.
