Road Traffic Crashes and Deaths

• Many studies show that the risk of being involved in a crash increases as a driver’s blood alcohol level increases.
• At all blood alcohol levels, the relative risk of a crash is higher for young adults.

Relative risk of fatal crash by blood alcohol level

• Contrary to popular opinion, people with a high blood alcohol level are more likely to be injured or killed in a crash than those who are sober.
• For drivers involved in all fatal crashes in 2006–2008, 26 percent were recorded as having alcohol only and a further two percent as having both alcohol and drugs.
• As the severity of crashes increases, so does the contribution of driver alcohol/drugs.
• For every 100 alcohol or drug-impaired drivers or riders killed in road crashes, 54 of their passengers and 27 sober road users die with them.
• In 2008, driver alcohol/drugs was a contributing factor in 103 fatal crashes, 441 serious injury crashes and 1156 minor crashes.
• These crashes resulted in 119 deaths, 582 serious injuries and 1726 minor injuries.

For more information refer to the Ministry of Transport’s Crash Fact Sheets
(Ministry of Transport, 2009)

• Police estimate that each day in New Zealand, approximately 5,923 compulsory breath tests and 2,743 mobile breath tests are undertaken and 100 people are charged with drink driving (New Zealand Police, 2010).