In Midst of Holiday Celebrations, National Survey Shows 7 of 10 Americans DO NOT Know Their State's Law for Drinking and Driving 12/11/2002
From: Courtney Means of The Century Council, 202-637-0077 WASHINGTON, Dec. 11 -- An alarming 70 percent of all Americans do not know their state's blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) limit for driving. Even worse, 61 percent of those who plan to drink beverage alcohol this upcoming holiday season do not know there state's BAC limit for driving according to a national survey commissioned by The Century Council, a national not-for-profit organization funded by America's leading distillers. These results were released in the midst of the December holiday season, a time when drinking and driving incidents escalate. In fact, in 2001, almost 42 percent of all traffic fatalities from Thanksgiving through New Year's were alcohol-related, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. "The survey results show us the reality that .08 or .10 - Americans just don't know their state's law for drinking and driving and that is particularly worrisome when over 40 percent of respondents said that they are likely to drink at gatherings during the upcoming holiday season," said the Honorable Susan Molinari, Chairman, The Century Council. "This is The Century Council's fourth annual survey and the results have spurred us to redouble our efforts at educating Americans on how drinking alcohol may affect their personal BAC levels." Based on the survey results, The Century Council is committed to continuing its traveling BAC educational campaign, the Blood Alcohol Educator Van tour and Blood Alcohol Educator (BAE) CD-ROM. The BAE is an educational program designed in cooperation with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for adults in both Spanish and English that educates the user on their personal BAC based on gender, weight, number and type of drinks consumed. To distribute the BAE program, The Council has outfitted a van with the Spanish and English logos of the BAE on the exterior to travel across the country. The BAE Van builds out into a cyber-cafe that includes three computer stations so visitors can try out the program. Since its inception in October 1999, the traveling education campaign has visited 42 states and the District of Columbia, traveled 130,000 miles and distributed over 100,000 CD-ROMs free of charge. The BAE program is also available online at www.b4udrink.org. The Van is scheduled to travel through Florida, Georgia, Mississippi and Louisiana in January and February of 2003, and a comprehensive schedule can be found on the program's web site. The Century Council is conducting a national television and print advertising public relations effort to promote the innovative educational program during this holiday season. The survey was conducted by the nationally recognized polling firm, Wirthlin Worldwide Inc. and commissioned by The Century Council, an independent, non-profit organization funded by America's leading distillers. It was released to coincide with December's designation as National Drugged and Drunk Driving Month (3D Month). The Century Council's funding companies - Allied Domecq Spirits and Wine North America, Bacardi U.S.A, Inc., Brown-Forman, DIAGEO, Future Brands LLC, Pernod Ricard USA - have provided close to $130 million dollars to The Council since its inception in 1991. The Century Council's mission is to fight underage drinking and drunk driving. For more information on The Council's national survey, state specific drunk driving data, December BAC Educational Campaign or to send a free e-postcard encouraging responsible decision-making during the holiday season, log onto http://www.centurycouncil.org. Launched in 1991, The Century Council is funded by America's leading distillers. The Council's mission is to promote responsible decisions about drinking and discourage all forms of irresponsible consumption through education, communications, research, law enforcement and other programs. For more information of the Century Council and its programs, visit its Web site at http://www.centurycouncil.org | |