ABSTRACT
Drunk driving entails the intersection of two social problems, alcohol abuse and traffic safety and is defined as irresponsible, antisocial, and illegal behavior by the general public and the law. The use of alcohol particularly impinges on highway safety in that millions of Americans drive after drinking, some of whom are drunk drivers at one time or another. Research literature on bars reveals that drinking places are time-out unserious settings wherein sociability and play constitute the most general standing behavior pattern. In 1993, 6.6 percent of all traffic crashes were classified as alcohol related. More than one-third of all pedestrians 16 years of age or older killed in traffic crashes were intoxicated. Safety belts were used by only about 16 percent of the fatally injured intoxicated drivers, compared to 26.4 percent of fatally injured impaired drivers and 41.5 percent of fatally injured sober drivers.
