Alcohol-Linked Road Deaths at Low

By DONNA DE LA CRUZ
06:23 PM ET 09/02/99

NEW YORK (AP), The number of alcohol-related traffic fatalities in the United States dropped to 15,935 last year, the lowest level in the 17 years the government has been keeping the statistic. The figure dropped 1.5 percent from the year before, when alcohol was involved in 16,189 crash deaths, federal officials said Thursday.

President Clinton said the number of young people killed in alcohol-related crashes also dropped to a record low - to nine per 100,000, from 10 per 100,000. But he added that ``even one child killed because of drunk driving is too many,'' and said the government will release $47 million in grants to help cities combat drunken driving and underage drinking and increase seat belt use.

Alcohol-related traffic fatalities accounted for 38.4 percent of the 41,471 highway deaths nationwide last year. The figure was 38.5 percent in 1997.

Texas had the most alcohol-related traffic deaths last year - 1,792. California was second with 1,324.

The highest percentage was in Washington, D.C., where half of the 54 traffic deaths came in alcohol-related crashes. Utah had the lowest rate; there were 50 alcohol-related traffic deaths last year - or 14.4 percent of its 350 fatalities.

Dr. Ricardo Martinez, the head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, announced the figures at a news conference with Karolyn Nunnallee, president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Mrs. Nunnallee said the National Safety Council predicted that 468 people are likely to die on the nation's highways over Labor Day holiday weekend, and about 53 percent of the deaths are expected to be alcohol-related.

During last year's holiday weekend, 464 people were killed and 50 percent were alcohol-related.

``We are here because we refuse to accept this death count prediction as a matter of fact or fate,'' Mrs. Nunnallee said. ``We are here with a mission ... to see that everyone returns home safely from this long holiday weekend.''

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