Most fatal drunk driving crashes are caused by drunk drivers who have consumed very high levels of alcohol—almost twice the legal blood-alcohol content limit of 0.08. According to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), more than 70 percent of fatal drunk driving crashes in 2010 involved a driver with a blood alcohol content of 0.15 or higher. David Strickland, head of the NHTSA, is strongly recommending that states require first-time drunk drivers to install ignition-interlock devices—systems that require a driver to blow into a Breathalyzer system before starting the car. Officials in both Congress and the Obama administration have launched a $20 million incentive program to persuade more states to implement the ignition-interlock systems. So far, only 17 states require ignition interlocks. In 2010, alcohol impairment played a role in 10,000 highway deaths, causing one out of every three U.S. highway fatalities.
Source: Bloomberg News – : High Alcohol Level in Most Fatal DUIs
