LOWER BAC LAW REDUCES ILLINOIS TRAFFIC DEATHS; DRUNKEN-DRIVING ARRESTS UP 5.2 PERCENT

The largest decline ever in alcohol-related traffic fatalities and an increase in drunken-driving arrests are being attributed to a new blood-alcohol-content law that went into effect last year in Illinois.

Last year, which was the first for Illinois' 0.08 percent BAC law, far surpassed expectations in life-saving and traffic-safety impact, said George H. Ryan, Illinois secretary of state and governor-elect.

In 1997, 587 people were killed in alcohol-related crashes in Illinois, 11.6 percent fewer than in the previous year.

Last year, when the BAC level for intoxication was lowered from 0.10 to 0.08 percent, 47,034 motorists in Illinois were ticketed for driving under the influence. That count was up more than 2,300 (5.2 percent) over the 44,710 motorists who were ticketed in 1996.

Ninety percent of the Illinois motorists ticketed in 1997 lost their driving privileges for at least three months.

Last year in Missouri, driving-while-intoxicated arrests and alcohol-related traffic fatalities were down. Missouri is one of 34 states in which 0.10 percent BAC constitutes intoxicated driving.

Although statistics on all DWI arrests were not available, drunken-driving tickets written by the Missouri State Highway Patrol totaled 11,018 in 1997. In 1996 the patrol wrote 11,560 tickets for drunken driving. The figures don't include arrests by other law enforcement agencies in the state.

In Cape Girardeau, 115 DWI arrests were made in 1997, down from 208 in 1996. Police Cpl. Kevin Orr, a public information officer for the Cape Girardeau Police Department, said the city was on a four-year decline in both DWI arrests and alcohol-related accidents.

"In 1988, there were more than 450 DWI arrests here," said Orr, who credits sobriety checkpoints and educational awareness programs for the decline.

Implementation of the 0.08 percent BAC law in Illinois "has proven to be a deterrent to people who may consider driving while under the influence of drugs and alcohol," said Ryan.

Alcohol is the most common factor in highway deaths and injuries in Illinois. Traffic experts estimated that Illinois' new law would save 65 lives a year, but fatalities decreased by 77 with the law in effect for only six months.

The 587 alcohol-related fatal crashes in Illinois last year was down 11.6 percent from the 664 people who died in alcohol-related crashes in 1996.

"Our drunken-driving death toll has never been lower, and our roadways have never been freer of drunken drivers," said Ryan.

Some of the increased tickets in Illinois were a result of underage drinking. Under the "Use It & Lose It" zero-tolerance law in Illinois, 2,890 drivers under 21 lost their driving privileges in 1997.

A total of 509 people were killed in alcohol-related accidents in Missouri in 1997. This represented a 13 percent decrease from the 568 deaths in 1996.

A total of 4.8 percent of all traffic crashes in Missouri in 1997 were drinking related, with 20.6 percent of all fatal crashes involving alcohol. The crashes left more than 4,000 people injured.

The majority of drinking-related traffic crashes, 59.3 percent, occurred on Fridays, Saturdays or Sundays, and 64.8 percent occurred between 7 p.m. at 3 a.m.

Cape Girardeau County ranked 18th among 115 Missouri counties in the frequency of drinking-related traffic crashes.

MADD, which stands for Mothers Against Drunken Drivers, continues to push for a 0.08 percent BAC law in Missouri, and the issue is expected to resurface when the Missouri Legislature convenes in January. Last spring efforts to lower the limit were defeated in the Legislature.

A similar proposal to create a national 0.08 percent standard was defeated in Congress.