Drunk Driving

Drunk Driving or Drinking and Driving is the act of operating a motor vehicle after having consumed alcohol (ethanol) or other drugs, to the degree that mental and motor skills are impaired. It is illegal in most jurisdictions within the U.S..

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The specific Criminal Offence is usually called driving while intoxicated (DWI) or driving under the influence [of alcohol or other drugs] (DUI). Such laws may also apply to boating or piloting aircraft.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 17,419 people died in 2002 in alcohol-related collisions, representing 41 percent of total traffic deaths in the United States. Over 500,000 people were injured in alcohol-related accidents in the US in 2001. Alcohol-related is defined to include any driver, passenger or pedestrian involved in a fatal crash who has any trace of alcohol or suspicion of alcohol usage. According to the NHTSA, no other country uses these criteria in their statistical computations.