September 2, 2005 |
In Brief |
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The Federal Bureau of Investigation estimated that there were over 1.4 million arrests for driving under the influence (DUI) in the United States in 2003.1 According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 10.9 percent of drivers/motorcyclists in fatal motor vehicle crashes in 2003 were under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or medication.2
The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) asks persons aged 12 or older if they had driven a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or illicit drugs in the past year3 and if they had been arrested for DUI.4 NSDUH defines illicit drugs to include marijuana/hashish, cocaine (including crack), inhalants, hallucinogens, heroin, or prescription-type drugs used nonmedically. This report focuses on past year alcohol and illicit drug use and driving behaviors of adults aged 21 or older. All findings presented in this report are annual averages based on combined 2002 and 2003 NSDUH data.
In the United States, 93.6 percent of persons aged 21 or older (an estimated 186.4 million persons) were classified as drivers.5 In 2002 and 2003, 16.6 percent of adult drivers aged 21 or older (an estimated 30.7 million persons) reported that they had driven while under the influence of alcohol or illicit drugs during the past year.
Figure 1. Percentages of Drivers Aged 21 or Older Who Reported a Past Year Arrest for DUI, by Age Group: 2002 and 2003 | Figure 2. Percentages of Drivers Aged 21 or Older Who Reported a Past Year Arrest for DUI, by Race/Ethnicity: 2002 and 2003 |
Of the estimated 186 million adult drivers aged 21 or older, 1.2 million (0.6 percent) had been arrested for DUI in the past 12 months. Male drivers aged 21 or older (1.1 percent) were five times more likely to have been arrested for DUI during the past year than adult female drivers (0.2 percent).
Among adults, younger drivers were more likely than older drivers to have been arrested in the past year for DUI. The past year DUI arrest rate for drivers aged 50 or older was low (0.2 percent), but past year DUI arrest rates were higher among the younger age groups. For example, 0.7 percent of drivers aged 35 to 49 were arrested for DUI during the past year, and 1.6 percent of drivers aged 21 to 25 reported a past year DUI arrest (Figure 1).
Among racial/ethnic groups, American Indians/Alaska Natives (2.5 percent) had the highest past year arrest rate for DUI while Asians (0.2 percent) had the lowest rate (Figure 2).6
Past year DUI arrest rates among drivers aged 21 or older were higher in the Midwest, South, and West (all 0.7 percent) than in the Northeast (0.4 percent).7 Rates of past year arrest for DUI varied by county size. Drivers aged 21 or older residing in small metropolitan counties (0.8 percent) were more likely than those residing in large metropolitan counties (0.5 percent) to report having been arrested during the past year for DUI (Figure 3).8
Figure 3. Percentages of Adult Drivers Aged 21 or Older Who Reported a Past Year Arrest for DUI, by County Type: 2002 and 2003 | Figure 4. Percentages of Adult Drivers Aged 21 or Older Reporting a Past Year Arrest for DUI, by Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol and/or Illicit Drugs in the Past Year: 2002 and 2003 |
Among drivers aged 21 or older who reported that they had driven under the influence of alcohol or drugs during the past year, 2.8 percent also reported they had been arrested during the past year for DUI (Figure 4). The past year DUI arrest rate was 2.9 percent for drivers aged 21 or older who reported driving under the influence of alcohol during the past year and 4.8 percent for adult drivers who reported driving under the influence of illicit drugs during the past year. Almost 6.0 percent of drivers aged 21 or older who reported driving under the combined influence of alcohol and illicit drugs during the past year also reported having been arrested for DUI in the past year.
Source: SAMHSA, 2003 NSDUH.
The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) is an annual survey sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Prior to 2002, this survey was called the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA). The 2002 and 2003 data used in this report are based on information obtained from 71,648 persons aged 21 or older. The survey collects data by administering questionnaires to a representative sample of the population through face-to-face interviews at their place of residence.
The NSDUH Report is prepared by the Office of Applied Studies (OAS), SAMHSA, and by RTI International in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. (RTI International is a trade name of Research Triangle Institute.) Information and data for this issue are based on the following publications and statistics: Office of Applied Studies. (2004). Results from the 2003 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: National findings (DHHS Publication No. SMA 04-3964, NSDUH Series H-25). Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Office of Applied Studies. (2003). Results from the 2002 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: National findings (DHHS Publication No. SMA 03-3836, NSDUH Series H-22). Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Also available online: http://www.oas.samhsa.gov Because of improvements and modifications to the 2002 NSDUH, estimates from the 2002 and 2003 surveys should not be compared with estimates from the 2001 or earlier versions of the survey to examine changes over time. |
The NSDUH Report (formerly The NHSDA Report) is published periodically by the Office of Applied Studies, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). All material appearing in this report is in the public domain and may be reproduced or copied without permission from SAMHSA. Additional copies of this report or other reports from the Office of Applied Studies are available on-line: http://www.oas.samhsa.gov. Citation of the source is appreciated. For questions about this report please e-mail: shortreports@samhsa.hhs.gov.
This page was last updated on May 16, 2008. |