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Getting to Zero Alcohol-Impaired Driving Fatalities: A Comprehensive Approach to a Persistent Problem

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The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has released a report that examines the most promising interventions to prevent injuries and death from alcohol-impaired driving and makes recommendations on policy and program actions to reduce traffic fatalities related to alcohol impairment.  In 2016, alcohol impairment was a factor in 28 percent of all traffic fatalities.  Nearly 40 percent of the fatalities in an alcohol-related crash involve someone other than the drinking driver, making the impact of the problem wide-reaching.  Rural areas are disproportionately affected by alcohol-impaired crashes, and progress toward decreasing traffic fatalities has stagnated in recent years, making this document a significant one for rural areas seeking to improve transportation safety.  The committee that developed this report took a public health approach, recommending enforcement actions alongside prevention and treatment efforts.  The pre-publication version of this report is available for free download or for purchase of a print copy here.

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