National Driver Register
NHTSA Crash Tests
Computing a BAC Estimate
DWI Detection Guide
DWI Detection at BACs below 0.10
The Effects of 0.08 BAC Laws
FARS--Fatal Accident Reporting System
A Review of the Literature on the Effects of Low Doses of Alcohol on Driving-Related Shills

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, U. S. Department of Transportation was established by the Highway Safety Act of 1970, as the successor to the National Highway Safety Bureau, to carry out safety programs under the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966 and the Highway Safety Act of 1966. It implements consumer programs established by the Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act, enacted in 1972.

NHTSA is responsible for reducing deaths, injuries and economic losses resulting from motor vehicle crashes. They set and enforce safety performance standards for motor vehicle equipment, and through grants to state and local governments enable them to conduct effective local highway safety programs. The NHTSA has targeted reducing the drunk driving death toll to 11,000 by 2005 in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

NHTSA investigates safety defects in motor vehicles, sets and enforces fuel economy standards, helps states and local communities reduce the threat of drunk drivers, promotes the use of safety belts, child safety seats and air bags, investigates odometer fraud, establishes and enforces vehicle antitheft regulations and provides consumer information on motor vehicle safety topics.

NHTSA conducts research on driver behavior and traffic safety, to develop efficient and effective means of bringing about safety improvements.

A toll-free Auto Safety Hotline provides recall information, receives motor vehicle SAFETY complaints and furnishes consumers with a wide range of information on auto safety. The Hotline operates from 8 am to 10 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday thru Friday. Calls may be received during nonbusiness hours by means of an automated telephone answering service. A Spanish speaking operator is available from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/

Alcohol and highway safety 2001: a review of the state of knowledge, Chapter 2 alcohol's effect on people." http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/research/AlcoholHighway/

U. S. DOT Releases 2009 State-by-State Data on Alcohol-Related Traffic Fatalities; Statistics Underscore Drunk Driving is Deadliest of Crimes
http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811250.PDF

"Computing a BAC Estimate" summary: The amount of alcohol is usually referred to as BAC -- blood alcohol concentration -- although it is often measured in the breath where the alcohol level in the water vapor of the breath follows the alcohol level in the blood, .012 per hour decline, updated 11-02-98
http://ntl.bts.gov/card_view.cfm?docid=5188

Driver Characteristics at Various BACs 2000
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/research/pub/impaired_driving/BAC/

DWI Detection Guide
For the "Visual Detection of DWI Motorists" brochure, the researchers interviewed officers through out the United States to develop a list of more than 100 driving cues that predict blood alcohol concentrations above .08 percent. The list was reduced to 24 cues involving three field studies involving hundreds of officers and more than 12,000 enforcement stops. These are the major subject areas:
Problems Maintaining Proper Lane Position
Speed and Braking Problems
Vigilance Problems
Judgment Problems

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/alcohol/dwi/dwihtml/guide.htm

DWI Detection at BACs below 0.10 NHTSA has sponsored a number of research projects during the past twenty years to improve law enforcement officers= ability to detect drivers and motorcyclists whose driving/riding is impaired by alcohol. Visual cues that were good predictors of DWI were identified and training materials for law enforcement use were developed. When those projects were undertaken, the legal limit for alcohol was 0.10 in most jurisdictions. Now that many states have lowered the legal BAC limit to 0.08, and many others have passed zero-tolerance laws for youth under 21, there is a need to identify driving cues that predict DWI at BACs below 0.10. A technical report describing this research is available, as well as training materials for police use. The Visual Detection of DWI Motorists is a brochure with accompanying training video for law enforcement to identify DWI motorists at BACs below 0.10.
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/outreach/safesobr/ydydyl/resource/sect3_3.html

Apsler, Robert; Char, A. R.; Harding, Wayne M.; Klein, Terry M.; The Effects of 0.08 BAC Laws, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, March 1999. Straightforward and powerful reasons exist for lowering the legal limit of blood alcohol concentration (BAC) from 0.10 to 0.08. In 1964, Borkenstein et al. showed that drivers who had been drinking were more likely to be involved in a crash than sober drivers, and that beginning with low BACs, the greater the level of intoxication, the higher the probability of being in a crash. Other investigators have replicated and refined Borkenstein et al.'s original findings. More recently, Mounce and Pendleton (1992) extended this line of research by showing that driver BAC is associated with the probability o being responsible for a crash in which they were involved. Research also shows that virtually all drivers, even experienced drivers, are significantly impaired with regard to critical driving tasks at 0.08 BAC. The strong relationship between BAC level, probability of crash involvement, and increase impairment, has led a growing number of states to lower their legal BAC limits. To date, 16 states and the District of Columbia have lowered the BAC limit to 0.08 for adult drivers.

Initiatives to Address Impaired Driving
This report presents an in-depth look at impaired driving: a significant highway safety issue that impacts directly on the success of NHTSA's mission. PDF http://trb.org/news/blurb_detail.asp?id=2163

The Nation's Top Strategies to Stop Impaired Driving (February, 2007)
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/alcohol/StrategiesStopID/index.html

NHTSA Crash Tests Each year, as part of the New Car Assessment Program (NCAP), the government buys brand new cars right off the lots and crashes them. Why? To compare how well different vehicles protect front-seat passengers in a head-on collision. Results are given in a one-to-five star rating, with five stars indicating the most protection, and one star, the least.

Federal law requires all passenger cars to pass a 30 mph frontal crash test. NCAP tests are conducted at 35 mph to make the differences between vehicles more apparent. The tests are equivalent to a vehicle moving at 70 mph striking an identical parked vehicle.

During the test, instrumented dummies wearing safety belts measure the force of impact to the chest, head, and leg. These readings are the basis of the star rating. Reminder: Crash test ratings are only meaningful when comparing vehicles in the same weight class. Search the NHTSA Database for crash test results on the following:

• Cars
• Trucks
• Vans
• SUVs
• Airbags

http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/database/veh/veh.htm

"A Review of the Literature on the Effects of Low Doses of Alcohol on Driving-Related Skills", Herbert Moskowitz, Dary Fiorentin, April 2000, FINAL REPORT. 112 research reports reviewed. Contents: Overall Impairment. Impairment, by Behavioral Areas, Driving and Flying: On the Road and Simulators, Divided Attention, Drowsiness, Vigilance Tasks, Tracking, Perception, Visual Functions, Cognitive Tasks, Psychomotor Skills, Choice Reaction Time, Simple Reaction Time, Critical Flicker Fusion, and Aftereffects.
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/research/pub/Hs809028/Title.htm

Traffic Safety Facts 2008 : see State Alcohol Estimates and State Alcohol-impaired Driving Estimates
http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/cats/listpublications.aspx?id=A&ShowBy=DocType

You Drink & Drive. You Lose--America's New Impaired Driving Campaign
Impaired driving is no accident. It is a violent crime that kills. Every 30 minutes someone in America dies because of an impaired driver. Every two minutes someone is injured. You, your family or your friends could be next.

You Drink & Drive. You Lose. was developed as the voice of an energized national partnership aimed at intensifying the fight against impaired driving. NHTSA's partners include the National Association of Governors' Highway Safety Representatives (NAGHSR), Operation C.A.R.E. (Combined Accident Reduction Effort), the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), the National Sheriffs' Association and the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE).
Address: http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/outreach/safesobr/ydydyl/call2act.html

updated 01/07/10