July 13, 2005

Lansing - An audit of the state’s drunk driving arrests, convictions and crashes, as well as fatalities and injuries involving alcohol and/or drugs, has shown a decrease in these areas for the third year in a row.

The 2004 Drunk Driving Audit, issued by the Michigan State Police, Criminal Justice Information Center, provides detailed information, including arrest activity by law enforcement agency for each county in the state as well as crash, injury and fatality information by county.

In 2004, 418 people died in alcohol- and/or drug-related fatalities, down from 442 in 2003. Drunk and impaired driving arrests totaled 55,070, a decrease from the 55,746 individuals arrested in 2003. Of the arrests in 2004, 53,292 were for operating under the influence of liquor (OUIL). Convictions for 2004, which may be from prior-year arrests, include 23,869 for OUIL and 28,762 for impaired driving.

Injuries resulting from alcohol- and/or drug-related crashes also decreased, from 9,315 in 2003 to 8,667 in 2004.

"It’s encouraging that alcohol- and drug-related traffic fatalities in Michigan are down 5 percent and that injuries were further reduced by 7 percent," said Michigan State Police Director, Colonel Tadarial J. Sturdivant. "Despite this, drunk driving is still a crime that happens all-too often."

Traffic fatalities involving alcohol and/or drugs represented 36.1 percent of all traffic deaths in 2004.

Making the public aware of drunk driving laws is critical to continue reducing these fatalities, said Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land.

"By emphasizing education and awareness, the state is encouraging motorists to think twice before making a costly mistake," Land said. "We must continue working with other partners to continue this downward trend."

The report covers the first full year in which the legal definition of drunk driving was set at .08 blood alcohol content (BAC). The change was effective in September 2003.

Another key piece of legislation is Michigan’s repeat offender law, which took effect in October 1999. This law created harsher penalties for repeat offenders in an effort to limit access to vehicles through license plate confiscation, mandatory vehicle immobilization and vehicle forfeiture.

The 2004 Drunk Driving Audit is available online. To view the entire report, visit www.michigan.gov/msp, then click on Publications, Forms and Statistics. Next, click Statistics, then Traffic Crash Statistics, then click Michigan Drunk Driving Audit.

Read more news releases from the Michigan State Police.