Analysis of Alcohol-Impaired Young Drivers in Fatal Crashes

by Timothy M. Pickrell, Marc Starnes, National Highway Traffic Safety Administ

This report examines the relationship between the blood alcohol concentration (BACs) of young drivers 16 to 20 years old and a comparison group (drivers 21 to 34) involved in fatal crashes and the following factors: restraint use, previous driving while intoxicated (DWI) conviction, driver license status, number of vehicles involved in the crash, speed limit, vehicle type, number of vehicle occupants, driver gender, time of day, day of week, holiday period, season, rural/urban status, and region of the country. Using NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) data, the authors examined the relationship between BACs and the above-listed factors first with an exploratory data analysis, presenting percentages based on the two most recent years of available data (2008-2009), and then by an ordinal logistic regression analysis, using 2000-2009 FARS data.