Fewer People Are Driving Drunk According to Survey

According to data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, fewer people in Florida and in the rest of the nation are driving while they are drunk. The most recently available data comes from 2014 and shows that the self-reported drunk driving and drugged driving rates have fallen since 2002.

The National Survey on Drug Use and Health has been given each year since 2002. While the results are self-reported, they still are useful for researchers because the survey has been ongoing for so many years. In 2014, 11.1 percent of drivers who were ages 16 and older reported driving while drunk in the previous year. By contrast, 15.3 percent of drivers reported in 2002 that they had driven while they were drunk.

The rates of people who reported driving while on drugs are lower than when Obama first became president, but they have remained relatively stable since that time. However, the rates are still lower than they were in 2002; in 2002, 5 percent of people admitted to drugged driving in the previous year, and in 2014, 4.1 percent admitted to doing so. There was also a decline in the percentage of drivers who admitted to driving while they were under the influence of alcohol and drugs. In 2002, 3.3 percent of drivers admitted to driving under the influence of both, and in 2014, 2.4 percent acknowledged doing it.

Drunk driving and its potential consequences are the subjects of many public awareness ad campaigns. Over the past few decades, the enforcement of drunk driving laws has increased, and so have the penalties. When a person is charged with drunk driving, he or she may want to get help from a criminal defense attorney. Lawyers who are experienced in defending people who have been charged with drunk driving might be able to help their clients achieve favorable outcomes.