More than 10,000 people died in drunk driving accidents in the U.S. in 2010, according to the most recent data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). These deaths comprised 31 percent of the total number of traffic deaths that year.
The number is down significantly from the 21,113 deaths in 1982.
Hillsdale College Security Director since 2012 and former Hillsdale County Undersheriff William Whorley attributes the decline to more education, specifically with the owners of bars and restaurants that serve alcohol.
“We, I think, have seen much fewer cases of owners of establishments — whether they be package liquor sales or on premises establishments — we’ve seen much less of a case of over serving. That had been a problem in the past,” Whorley said. “Most of the bar owners in our area have become very savvy. I believe they recognize that there is some potential liability associated with over serving.”
Whorley said owners of these establishments have an increased awareness of how much alcohol they’re serving and to whom it’s being served as a result of the new awareness of liability. They will educate employees not to over serve or not to serve someone who is already intoxicated.
In conjunction with education and awareness, stricter laws and penalties exist to discourage drunk driving.
On March 20, House Bill 4093, which would keep the legal blood alcohol content limit at .08 percent, passed the Michigan House of Representatives by a unanimous vote. It still needs to pass the Senate and get Gov. Rick Snyder’s signature; otherwise, the threshold will revert to the 2003 threshold of .10 percent on Oct. 1.
To comply with federal standards, all states have a threshold of .08 percent. If Michigan were to increase to .10 percent, the state would lose around $50 million a year in federal funds.
Since the change from .10 percent BAC to .08 percent BAC in 2003, Michigan State Police representatives have noted a decline in alcohol-related crashes by over 30 percent and a decline in fatalities by over 20 percent.
According to the 2011 annual Michigan drunk driving audit, Hillsdale County had only 13 crashes involving alcohol that resulted in injury and three crashes that involved both alcohol and drugs. These 16 injury crashes involving alcohol represent a little more than 8 percent of the 190 total injury crashes. None of the three fatal crashes in the report involved alcohol.
Of the 1,475 property damage crashes in Hillsdale County, 26 involved alcohol only and one involved both drugs and alcohol.
There were 42 total crashes involving alcohol in Hillsdale County, 77 crashes fewer than the statewide average of 119 per county.
Compared to the state of Michigan and the rest of the nation, Hillsdale County has fewer traffic accidents, injuries, and fatalities involving alcohol.
This trend is seen on Hillsdale’s campus. Whorley said that since he has become director of security, he has not had any incidents involving a student getting behind the wheel after drinking.
