Drunken Driving Arrests Down

Increased public awareness and the threat of stricter penalties contributed to an almost 20 percent drop in nationwide arrests for drunken driving from 1986 to 1997, according to activists and a Justice Department study.

At the same time, the number of people behind bars or on probation for driving while intoxicated soared to more than 500,000, a jump of 90 percent - an indication that drunken drivers are receiving tougher sentences.

Law enforcement officials and anti-drunken driving activists greeted the data as evidence that their efforts are persuading people not to drink and drive or are forcing them off the roads when they do.

Karolyn Nunnallee, national president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, said she hopes the positive statistics don’t lead police and the public to become complacent in the fight against the problem. “Pat yourself on the back,” she said, “but get back to work, because there’s much to be done.”

She noted that almost 16,000 Americans died in alcohol-related car accidents last year. That number, although significantly lower than annual drunken-driving deaths in the early 1980s, remains unacceptably high, she said.

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