Trends in drinking driver fatalities in Canada

Public and political concern and action focussed on the problem of drinking and driving during the 1980s was unprecedented. This paper examines the impact of these collective efforts by analyzing trends in the magnitude of the alcohol crash problem in Canada as reflected by drinking driver fatalities. After many years of little or no change in the magnitude of the drinking-driving problem, beginning in the early 1980s, both the number and percent of drinking driver fatalities began to decline. This trend continued over the entire decade. Despite these gains, a significant problem remains, in particular drivers with very high blood alcohol concentrations who appear to be relatively unaffected by countermeasures based on traditional measures such as deterrence and persuasion. New, innovative programs will be necessary to deal effectively with this "hard core" heavy drinking group.