NHTSA begins holiday crackdown on drunk drivers

(Excerpted from: The National Safety Council’s: Membership News Alert, December 19, 2008)

Between 2002 and 2006, nearly 4 out of 10 fatalities that occurred during the last two weeks of December involved alcohol-impaired motor vehicle crashes, according to statistics released Dec. 17 from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The data (.pdf file) shows drivers 21-24 years old were involved in more alcohol-impaired crashes than any other age group. 

In 2007, 12,998 fatalities resulted from crashes involving a driver with a blood-alcohol content of 0.08 or higher – representing 32 percent of total fatalities for the year. Officials warn that the problem is more prevalent during the holidays.
NHTSA released the data as part of its national campaign, Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest, which runs through the New Year's holiday and involves thousands of law enforcement agencies.