The Century Council Releases Tool to Combat Hardcore Drunk Drivers 10/2/2003
From: Leslie Mills or Courtney Means of The Century Council, 202-637-0077; http://www.centurycouncil.org News Advisory: -- Federal and state officials believe hardcore drunk drivers are top priority, yet don't know hardcore drunk drivers cause 58 percent of alcohol-related traffic fatalities WHAT The Century Council released a national survey that reveals that most federal and state opinion leaders believe that fighting hardcore drunk driving is a priority; Yet, when asked questions regarding the average blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of drunk drivers arrested for DWI, the number of fatally injured drivers who were repeat offenders, and the associated risk of a motor vehicle crash for drivers with a high BAC, an alarming number of federal and state opinion leaders answered incorrectly; Created by The Century Council, a national not-for-profit organization funded by America's leading distillers; A comprehensive Hardcore Drunk Driving Sourcebook with recommendations to help educate law enforcement, judges, prosecutors and state legislatures about the problem of hardcore drunk driving as well as to highlight the problem of "hardcore" drunk drivers and state specific information on hardcore provisions and regulations. WHO -- The Honorable Ellen Engleman, Chairman, NTSB -- Vince Burgess, VA DMV Assistant Commissioner for Highway Safety -- Doug Gansler, Montgomery County's State's Attorney -- Tom Langhorne, board member, The National Association of State Judicial Educators -- Chief Charles Ramsey, Metropolitan Police Department -- The Honorable Susan Molinari, Chairman of The Century Council WHY -- A Hardcore Drunk Driver is a person who drives with a BAC of .15 or higher who does so repeatedly, demonstrated by more than one drunk driving arrest, and who is highly resistant to changing their behavior despite previous sanctions, treatment or education efforts; -- Are 380 times more likely to be involved in a single-vehicle fatal crash than a non-drinking driver; -- And, are involved in 58 percent of all alcohol-related traffic fatalities for the year; -- Hardcore Drunk Drivers represent one percent of all drivers on weekend nights, but are involved in over 50 percent of the alcohol-related traffic fatalities during that time; -- The U.S. Congress is currently in the process of drafting reauthorization legislation for the Transportation Equity Act (TEA-3), which includes drunk driving provisions. -- The Century Council has developed recommendations to strengthen those provisions, with a particular focus on the hardcore drunk driver. WHEN Thursday, October 2, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. WHERE National Press Club, Zenger Room; 529 14th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20045 CONTACT: Leslie Mills or Courtney Means, 202-637-0077, meansc@centurycouncil.org, or millsl@centurycouncil.org ------ The Century Council, launched in 1991, is a national not-for-profit organization funded by America's leading distillers: Allied Domecq Spirits & Wine North America, Bacardi U.S.A., Inc., Brown-Forman, DIAGEO, Future Brands LLC, and Pernod Ricard USA. The Council's mission is to promote responsible decision-making regarding drinking or non-drinking of beverage alcohol and discourages all forms of irresponsible consumption through education, communications, research, law enforcement and other programs. For more information on The Council, log onto http://www.centurycouncil.org. |