Impaired Driving Facts and Figures

Why does it occur?

• When you drink and then drive, alcohol affects your judgement, reaction time and perception
• In 2006, in injury collisions, 1217 or 4.6 percent of the involved drivers had either been drinking or were judged to have been impaired.
• For the same year, in fatal collisions, 119 or 22.7 percent of the drivers had been drinking or were impaired.
• As the severity of the collision from non-fatal to fatal increased, the involvement of alcohol dramatically increased.
  

Who is involved?

• An impaired driver can be anyone. There is no single image or personality type that indicates a drunk driver. But young males are the most likely group of drivers to have consumed alcohol before a crash.
• In 2006, there were five times as many male drivers as female drivers who had consumed alcohol and been involved in a casualty collision.
• The majority of these drivers were males younger than 45 years old.
• In terms of involvement per 1,000 licensed drivers, males between 18 and 24 years of age were most likely to have been drinking before the crash.
  

When it happens?

• Impaired driving can happen at any time and anywhere. But the odds go up for collisions involving alcohol on weekends, in the early morning hours and during warmer weather month. In 2006, August was the month with the highest number of casualty collisions involving alcohol 9.9 percent of the total. May had the highest number of alcohol-involved fatal collisions, with 12.8 percent.
• The most fatal and non-fatal injury collisions involving alcohol occurred on Saturdays in 2006. And the most likely time period for these collisions, on any day of the week, was between 11:00 p.m. and 3:00 a.m.

Make the smart choice. Don’t drink and drive.

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Impaired Driving Facts and Figures

If you have any suggestions on traffic safety issues that are of interest to you and your community, or for more information, contact:

Office of Traffic Safety, Alberta Transportation
Main Floor, Twin Atria, 4999 – 98 Avenue
Edmonton, Alberta T6B 2X3
Ph: (780) 422-8839 Fax: (780) 422-3682
Outside Edmonton Call 310-0000 and as for 422-8839

Updated October 2007