Rate of Alcohol-Related Road Deaths Declines, DOT Reports

Almost 1,300 fewer Americans died in alcohol-related crashes last year than in 2007, and fatality rates dropped by 20 percent or more in Vermont, Wisconsin, Maine, Nebraska, Minnesota, Connecticut, South Dakota, Arizona and the District of Columbia, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).

The Associated Press reported Dec. 7 that the rate of drunk-driving fatal crashes declined from 0.43 per 100 million miles traveled to 0.40 per 100 million miles between 2007 and 2008.

However, the rate of alcohol-related fatalities rose in New Hampshire, Kansas, Wyoming, Rhode Island, Idaho, Oklahoma and Colorado, DOT reported (PDF).