Impaired Driving in Arizona
Incidence of Impaired Driving
For one of every 130 miles driven in Arizona in 1998, a legally intoxicated person (BAC $.10) sat behind the wheel. Arizona police report 7,610 crashes involving a driver or pedestrian with a positive blood alcohol concentration (BAC). Formulas developed by NHTSA were used to estimate the number of alcohol-related crashes where alcohol involvement is not reported by the police. An estimated total of 19,800 crashes in Arizona involved alcohol. These crashes killed 423 and injured an estimated 14,100 people.
Impaired Driving by Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC)
In 1998, Arizona drivers with:
 | BACs of .10 and above were involved in an estimated 18,900 crashes that killed 334 and injured 12,300 |
| BACs between .08-.09 were involved in an estimated 300 crashes that killed 26 and injured 600 |
| Positive BACs below .08 were involved in an estimated 600 crashes that killed 63 and injured 1,200 |
Costs
Alcohol is a factor in 32% of Arizona crash costs. Alcohol-related crashes in Arizona cost the public more than $2.6 billion in 1998, including more than $0.9 billion in monetary costs and almost $1.7 billion in quality of life losses. (For definitions of the cost categories, see the definitions fact sheet.) Alcohol-related crashes are deadlier and more serious than other crashes. People other than the drinking driver paid $1.1 billion of the alcohol-related crash bill.
Costs Per Alcohol-related Injury
The average alcohol-related fatality in Arizona cost $3.4 million:
| $1.2 million in monetary costs |
| $2.2 million in quality of life losses |
The estimated cost per injured survivor of an alcohol-related crash averaged $87,000:
| $38,000 in monetary costs |
| $49,000 in quality of life losses |
Costs Per Mile Driven
Crash costs in Arizona averaged:
| $6.90 per mile driven at BACs of .10 and above |
| $3.00 per mile driven at BACs between .08-.09 |
| $0.10 per mile driven at BACs of .00 |
Costs Per Drink
The societal costs of alcohol-related crashes in Arizona averaged $1.00 per drink consumed. People other than the drinking driver paid $0.50 per drink.
Impact on Auto Insurance Rates
Alcohol-related crashes accounted for an estimated 13% of Arizona’s auto insurance payments. Reducing alcohol-related crashes by 10% would save $50 million in claims payments and loss adjustment expenses.
Prevention Savings
Arizona already has many important impaired driving laws. However, a number of additional strategies can be used to mitigate the harm from impaired driving.
| Enforcing Serving Intoxicated Patrons Law: Using undercover police officers to enforce Arizona’s law against serving alcohol to intoxicated bar and restaurant patrons would reduce alcohol-related crash fatalities by an estimated 11%. It would cost $0.30 per licensed driver and save $30 per licensed driver. |
| .08 BAC Law: Lowering Arizona’s BAC limit to .08 would reduce alcohol-related fatalities by 8% and save an estimated $3 per licensed driver. The value of mobility losses and alcohol sales reductions resulting from the law are the large majority of the $0.20 cost per licensed driver. |
| Graduated Licensing: Graduated licensing would impose a nighttime driving restriction or passenger limits for young novice drivers in Arizona. Graduated licensing with a midnight curfew would reduce youth fatalities by 5%-8% and total alcohol-related fatalities by 2%. It would save an estimated $700 per youthful driver. The value of the mobility lost by youth is the large majority of the $70 cost per youthful driver. |
| Ignition Interlock: Breath-testing ignition interlocks are designed to prevent anyone with a BAC above the legal limit from starting or driving a car. Attaching an interlock to a car for a year after its operator is convicted of driving while intoxicated would reduce alcohol-related fatalities by an estimated 7%-12% and save $11,700 per vehicle equipped. Including the value of mobility lost, as well as equipment and case management costs, interlock costs would total $1,260 per vehicle. Existing programs typically recover their equipment and case management costs from sanctioned drivers. |
| Sobriety Checkpoint Program: Intensive enforcement of Arizona’s BAC limit with highly visible sobriety checkpoints would reduce alcohol-related fatalities by at least 15% and save $58,200 per checkpoint. Including costs of travel delay and the value of mobility losses by impaired drivers apprehended and sanctioned, the costs of conducting a checkpoint would average $8,700 including police resources. |
| Primary Belt Law: Primary belt laws allow law enforcement to stop and ticket a driver for non-use of a safety belt without requiring the driver to be cited for or have committed another offense. Unbelted drivers account for 75% of impaired driving fatalities. A primary belt law can reduce alcohol-related fatalities in Arizona by 10%. The law would save $200 per licensed driver. If enforced with frequent belt-use checkpoints, the value of temporary discomfort experienced by some new belt wearers and travel delay costs at checkpoints would be the large majority of the law’s $3.80 cost per licensed driver. |
Data and Statistics Obtained from
Public Services Research Institute
8201 Corporate Drive, Suite 220
Landover, MD 20785
(301) 731-9891
