ALCOHOL-RELATED DEATHS AT RECORD LOW

WASHINGTON-- The percentage of traffic fatalities caused by drunken driving
dropped to a record low in 1997 but still made up more than one-third of
automobile deaths, the government said today.

The Department of Transportation reported 16,189 alcohol-related traffic
deaths in 1997, 38.6 percent of the total. That was a decrease of about
1,000 deaths from 1996, when drunken driving was responsible for 40.9
percent of the 42,065 traffic deaths. In 1982, 57.3 percent of the 43,945
fatalities were alcohol-related.

The administration hailed the figures as evidence that measures such as zero
tolerance laws for young drivers have helped curb drunken driving. But
officials stressed that more needs to be done.

"This is good news but we must continue to do more to ensure that this
decline continues," President Clinton said.

"A strong message and tough laws are bringing about an important change in
society's attitude toward drunken driving, but we must continue our efforts
to reduce the number of these tragedies even further," said Transportation
Secretary Rodney Slater. The department has set a goal of reducing
alcohol-related traffic deaths to 11,000 annually by 2005.

For the first time since record-keeping began in 1975, alcohol-related
deaths were below 40 percent of all traffic fatalities. And drunken driving
deaths among teens aged 15 to 20 dropped 5 percent from 2,324 in 1996 to
2,209 in 1997, according to data by the department's National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration.

Clinton has encouraged states to lower their drunken-driving threshold to a
0.08 blood-alcohol concentration and authorized $500 million in grants as an
incentive for states to adopt the standard. Only 15 states have done so.

Getting all states to lower their limit would be an important step in
helping to ensure that the numbers keep decreasing, said Judith Stone,
president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety.

"We have to keep up these aggressive efforts. Otherwise we'll see the
numbers go in the other direction," Stone said. "We can't rest on our
laurels."

Activists also credited implementation of zero tolerance by all 50 states
for reducing drunken driving among young drivers. These laws permit
suspension of driver's licenses of people under 21 who are found to be
driving after drinking.

"By passing tough laws, states are sending a strong message to teen-aged
drivers: It's not cool and it's not legal to drink," said NHTSA
administrator Ricardo Martinez.

Groups highlighted possible steps that could further reduce the number of
drunken driving deaths. Stone cited laws which would require repeat
offenders to pass a breathalyzer test before starting their cars. Some
states also have adopted measures that allow them to impound the cars of
drunken drivers.

Other findings of the fatality analysis report:

The highest percentage of drunken driving deaths, 49.8 percent, was among
21- to 34-year olds. The lowest, 5.9 percent, was among drivers 75 and
older.

Of the 957 drinking drivers under age 21 who were killed in traffic crashes,
the majority, 792, were killed in crashes at night.

Utah had the lowest percentage of alcohol-related fatalities in 1997 with
20.6 percent, followed by New York with 27.4 percent.

Checked-by: Rolf Ernst