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TRAFFIC SAFETY CORNER
As we roll into the new year, it is worth reviewing some hard and tragic lessons learned to remind us, as if we needed reminding, of the dangers of impaired driving.
 SOME SOBERING FACTS FROM THE 1970s and 1980s
While everyone knew that "drunk driving" was dangerous, it was not until the national movement for increased traffic safety in the mid to late 1970s that a great deal of focus was put on addressing the problem:
Two Martini lunches and "one for the road" were commonplace. Restaurants and bars pushed highly profitable alcohol sales, and it was hard to find an establishment that would refuse to serve visibly intoxicated patrons.
The national average, per se, or "legal limit" blood alcohol content (BAC) was .10%. While it was known that illegal, prescription, and over the counter drugs were impairing, there was little attention paid and few studies done to determine the pervasiveness of the problem.
In studies by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA):
o One out of every seven drivers on the road on the average weekend night had a BAC of .10% or higher.
o The average DUII offender drove impaired a minimum of 80 times each year, or once every four or five days. Even when stopped, they ran a low risk of being arrested.
o Over half of all fatality involved motor vehicle crashes also involved a driver with a BAC of .10% or higher. Roughly one impaired driving related fatality every 60 seconds.
o Two out of every five Americans in their lifetime will be affected by a DUII related incident.
While most states had Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) statutes, meaning driving while visibly intoxicated, Oregon recognized that impaired, not intoxicated driving was the problem:
o Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants (DUII) meant "impaired to a noticeable and perceptible degree" meaning a person could be charged and convicted of DUII even if they refused a breath test or had a BAC below the per se limit of .10%.
o Oregon's Implied Consent Law that required drivers arrested for DUII to submit to a breath test or face substantial penalties against their driver's license if they refused.
Toward the end of the decade, science came to aid in the battle against impaired driving:
o Standardized Field Sobriety Tests (SFSTs) were created, and in the initial scientific validation testing, were able to accurately determine if a person had a blood alcohol level of .10% up to 83% of the time.
o The Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) program was created and provided street officers the tools to determine not only if a driver was under the active influence of drugs, but also which drug categories were represented.
FAST FORWARD TO 2010:
With greater awareness of the impairing effects of alcohol, Oregon lowered its per se BAC level to .08%.
Studies conducted since the first validation studies show that law enforcement officers trained and experienced in using SFSTs showed average accuracy rates of between 93-95% in correct arrest decisions for BACs of .08% or higher. Of the few incorrect decisions made, most were in favor of the driver in question.
A study in late 1993, in Oregon, showed that more than 60% of drivers arrested for alcohol involved DUIIs also had at least one additional drug present in their system. In response to this and other similar eye opening studies, Oregon adopted the DRE program and created the Oregon Drug Evaluation and Classification Program in 1994. Oregon DREs average accuracy rates of close to 90%.
HOW FAR DO WE STILL NEED TO GO?
Follow up NHTSA studies to the originals in the 1970s showed that while attitudes about impaired driving changed, there was virtually no change in statistical probabilities of the number of impaired drivers on the road.
While the number of DUII related fatal motor vehicle crashes fell significantly from over 50% in the 1970s, it has stalled close to 40% for the past decade.
In comparison, the number of people injured in DUII related crashes has doubled since 2000. These studies cannot account for crashes which would have resulted in a fatality if not for increased seatbelt usage, new vehicle safety features, and better emergency medical care, all factors that contribute greatly to crash survivability.
Even more disturbing is the number of DUII related fatal motor vehicle crashes involving drugs as the intoxicant. This number has tripled since the statistics were first kept in 2003 and are beginning to encroach on the number of fatalities attributed to impairment by alcohol only.
EVERY DUII ARRESTED
IS A LIFE SAVED | 
