Fatality Accidents Related to Alcohol
In a list compiled by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention titled "Leading Causes of Death," fatal accidents took the fifth spot in the United States. Approximately 121,599 individuals died in the year 2006 alone, as a consequence of a fatal accident. Every 45 minutes, for example, someone dies as a result of an auto accident caused by an alcohol-impaired driver. These accidents cost the U.S. government over $50 billion each year.
Other People Are Reading
-
Statistics
-
In a study conducted by the University of Kentucky Medical Center, approximately 100,000 deaths each year are attributed to alcohol abuse or misuse. This number accounts for 3 percent to 10 percent of annual deaths in the United States. Sixty to 90 percent of these lives are claimed by cirrhosis. Forty to 60 percent of alcohol-related fatalities involve a motor vehicle accident. Sixteen to 67 percent of these deaths may come as a direct result of alcohol-related home injuries, drownings, fire accidents and job injuries. A slim 3 to 5 percent of alcohol-related deaths have been attributed to cancer. Suicides and homicides also fall into the sad reality of alcohol misuse or dependency.
Fatal Crashes
-
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2008 had a total of 11,773 fatalities involving an alcohol-impaired driver, 32 percent of that year's total traffic deaths. Those deaths were calculated in the following percentage: 68 percent (8,027) drivers with a blood alcohol concentration over 0.8, 16 percent (1,875) passengers riding with an intoxicated driver, 10 percent (1,179) occupants of other vehicles and 6 percent (692) to non-occupants.
-
Negligent Manslaughter
-
An annual National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA) conducted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), 29.4 percent of federal prison inmates reported being under the influence (alcohol and/or drugs) while committing murder. State prison inmates amounted to 26.8 percent, to which 17.4 percent was attributed to negligent manslaughter. A study on Alcoholic Anonymous proved that violent crimes could be reduced if potential alcoholics decided to be a part of organizations such as this one.
Alcohol Poisoning
-
Excessive drinking may lead to another accidental fatality: alcohol poisoning. When the blood alcohol concentration rises to dangerous levels, the person under the influence starts experiencing certain symptoms such as mental confusion, seizures, vomiting, slow or irregular breathing and hypothermia (low body temperature). If the person suffering from alcohol poisoning is not taken care of immediately, his heart or breathing could stop, he could choke in his own vomit or experience brain damage, if not coma or death, as a result of untreated severe dehydration.
Potential
-
Several studies performed by the University of Kentucky Medical Center have revealed 5 percent to 15 percent of potential lives lost to alcohol misuse or abuse before the age of 65. Prevention is now a part of the United State's government agenda, to educate Americans and reduce the alarming statistics about fatality accidents related to alcohol.
-
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Your online source for credible information: Leading Causes of Death
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism of the National Institutes of Health: Alcohol Alert
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: Traffic Safety Facts 2008 Data
- University of Kentucky Medical Center: Actual Causes of Death in the United States
- Executive Office of the President: Office of National Drug Control Policy: Drug-Related Crime
Resources
- Photo Credit calcinado 3 image by charlyedo from Fotolia.com
