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Since 1982, alcohol involvement in fatal automobile crashes has been declining in the U.S. New national data document this progress, but also show that alcohol continues to play an important role in traffic deaths, particularly among young drivers.
From 1982 to 1994, the proportion of crash-related deaths involving alcohol fell from 54% to 29% among dri-vers 15 to 17 years old, and from 72% to 56% among drivers aged 21 to 24. Prompt license suspensions for drunk driving, a universal minimum drinking age of 21, and public awareness campaigns may explain the decline in the younger group. However, the youngest drivers were the most likely to have blood alcohol concentrations below 0.10 g/dl, the legal level of intoxication in most states. The N…