Drinking, driving and dying
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From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I'm Ted Pestorius with HHS HealthBeat.
About 1 of every 3 traffic deaths in the United States involves a drunken driver. That's sad. It's almost 13,000 deaths a year. At the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Ruth Shults has been examining the numbers.
Shults says more Americans have come to see drunken driving for the danger it is. And she says we need to keep doing that, especially around holidays when many people could be tempted.
[Ruth Shults speaks] "If you're planning a night out, know how you and your friends are going to get home before you leave, so plan ahead. And if you're hosting a party, ensure that your friends don't drink to the level of intoxication and then drive."
Shults says young people - especially men under 30 - are most at risk.
The study is in CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Learn more at hhs.gov.
HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Ted Pestorius.
Last revised: September, 29 2009