Perspectives in Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Alcohol-
Related Traffic Fatalities during Christmas and New Year Holidays
--
United States, 1978-1984
Analyses of data from the Fatal Accident Reporting System
(FARS)
for 1978-1984 reveal that alcohol-related traffic deaths tend to be
higher during the Christmas and New Year holiday periods* than
during
the year as a whole. Three sets of comparisons were made for the 7
years of data: the absolute number of alcohol-related traffic
deaths,
the percentage of alcohol-related deaths, and the number of
alcohol-related deaths per 24 hours occurring during the two
holiday
periods and the 12-month periods. A death was considered
alcohol-related if at least one driver had a positive blood-alcohol
concentration test result** (1) or if the investigating officer
judged
that alcohol was involved.
During the years 1978-1984, the total number of alcohol-related
traffic deaths ranged from 17,861 to 21,114 per year. Over these 7
years, both the number of traffic deaths per 24 hours and the
proportion of alcohol-related traffic deaths were generally higher
for
the two holiday periods than for the year as a whole. Both the
total
number of traffic deaths and the number of alcohol-related traffic
deaths per 24 hours for the holidays and the 12-month periods
declined
from 1980 to 1983. In 1984, the number of alcohol-related traffic
deaths increased for both the two holiday periods and the 12-month
period; in addition, the proportion of alcohol-related traffic
deaths
increased during the Christmas holiday period but not the New Year.
Reported by MB Grigson, T Zobeck, PhD, G Williams, DEd, Alcohol
Epidemiologic Data System, CSR, Incorporated, D Bertolucci, MA, Div
of
Biometry and Epidemiology, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and
Alcoholism, Washington, D.C.; Epidemiologic Studies Br, Div of
Surveillance and Epidemiologic Studies, Epidemiology Program
Office,
CDC.
Editorial Note
Editorial Note: The proportion of all traffic deaths that are
alcohol-related is generally higher during the holidays than at
other
times (2). Data collected by Iowa, for example, show that the
alcohol
involvement rate for 1978 through 1983 was 50%-60% for the New Year
holiday period and over 60% for the Christmas holiday. In
contrast,
during 1983, 49% of all Iowa traffic fatalities were
alcohol-related
(3).
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are collaborating in
a
public and private, state and federal prevention effort centered
around this year's "National Drunk and Drugged Driving Awareness
Week," December 15-21, 1985. They have prepared public service
announcements for television and radio that will be available for
state and local use during the holidays. A similar effort in
Maryland
has previously been successful in preventing alcohol-related
traffic
fatalities (4).
References
CDC. Patterns of alcohol use among teenage drivers in fatal
motor
vehicle accidents--United States, 1977-1981. MMWR
1983;32:344-7.
CDC. Temporal patterns of motor-vehicle-related fatalities
associated with young drinking drivers--United States, 1983.
MMWR
1984;33:699-701.
Iowa Department of Transportation. 1983 accident facts. Des
Moines, Iowa: Iowa Department of Transportation, January
1985:9.
Office of the County Executive, Montgomery County Government.
Report of the ad hoc task force on drinking and driving.
Rockville, Maryland: Montgomery County Government, May
1982:95.
*The holiday periods were defined according to the National Safety
Council. For 1979, 1982, and 1984, the holiday periods were 102
hours
long; for the remaining years, the holiday periods were 78 hours
long.
**Blood alcohol information is available for fewer than half the
drivers reported in the FARS.
Disclaimer
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