In Idaho in 2005:

• There were more than 28,238 vehicle collisions in Idaho in 2005, resulting in 275 fatalities.
• Impaired driving resulted in 1,952 collisions in Idaho in 2005.
• 100 people were killed in impaired driving collisions.  Over 36% of all fatalities were from an impaired driving collision.
• The Idaho State Police, Bureau of Criminal Identification, recorded 9,072 DUI arrests in 2005.
• The estimated cost of Idaho impaired driving collisions in 2005 exceeded $458 million dollars.
• Drivers ages 17-34 were over-represented in impaired driving collisions. 
• Drivers ages 20-24 were involved in 2.5 times as many driving collisions as would be expected.

Nationally:

• There were 16,885 alcohol-related fatalities in 2005 – 39 percent of the total traffic fatalities for the year. 
• There is one alcohol-related fatality every 31 minutes in the United States.
• 14,539 (86%) people were killed in crashes where at least one driver or nonoccupant had a BAC of .08 or higher.
• 21% (414 fatalities) of children 14 and younger killed in motor vehicle crashes were killed in alcohol-related crashes. 
• Of those 414 fatalities, 224 were passengers in vehicles with drivers who had been drinking, with BAC levels of .01 or higher.
• The highest percentage of drivers in fatal crashes who had a BAC level of .08 or higher was for drivers ages 21-24.
• The most frequently recorded BAC level among drinking drivers involved in fatal crashes was .17.

Facts about .08 BAC levels:

• All 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have .08 BAC per se laws.
• At .08 all drivers are impaired to the point that critical driving skills are greatly diminished.  Studies indicate that at a .08 BAC level, a driver’s steering, braking, speed control, lane changing, gear changing and judgments of speed and distance are all significantly impaired.
• To reach .08, a 170-pound male would have to consume four or more drinks in a one-hour period on an empty stomach.  A 137-pound female would have to consume three drinks in one-hour period on an empty stomach to reach .08.  A drink is considered a 12-oz beer, a 5-oz glass of wine or a cocktail containing 1.5 ounces of 80-proof liquor.
• At .08, a driver is three times more likely to be involved in a car crash than a sober driver, and 11 times more likely to be killed in a single-vehicle crash.