Information regarding Alcohol
courtesy Transport Canada

• The ABCs of Alcohol
• How Saving a Few Dollars Can Cost You Thousands
• It's the Law of the Land

General information

• Information on Blood Alcohol content
• Alcohol Quiz
• European Alcohol Legal Limits
• Canadian Impaired Driving Statistics by Province
• U.S. Impaired Driving Statistics
• Canadian Liquor License Statistics

British Columbia

In the year 2003 there were 499 people who died in vehicle collision including drivers, passengers and pedestrians. Of the 499 deaths, alcohol was determined to be present in 471 cases. That is 94.4 % of the total deaths. In 153 cases it was confirmed that alcohol was a contributing factor. In other words, with out a doubt, 32 % of all motor vehicle deaths can be directly related to alcohol consumption. According to the study, the difference between alcohol being present and being a contributing factor depends on the amount of information available, and the position of the persons who died. "A motor vehicle fatality was considered to be alcohol involved if there was at least one drinking driver or pedestrian in the fatal crash".

In the year 2003 there were 7653 serious injuries in single vehicle crashes. Of those, it was determined that 2780 or 36 % were alcohol related. There were 26378 multi vehicle crashes for this time period. 1737 or 6.6 % were determined to be alcohol related.

In the province of Ontario it is a minimum of $200 to see an emergency doctor before they run any tests or write on any paper. If we were to use that as a standard, the approximate cost on the medical system for just the serious alcohol related injuries would be $903,400. How much medical equipment could be purchased with these funds?

Alberta

In 2003 there were 411 fatalities in motor vehicle crashes. Of those 411, 385 were found to have alcohol present in some way. That is 93.7% to put it in perspective. 173 or 44.9% were confirmed to be alcohol related. According to the study, the difference between alcohol being present and being a contributing factor depends on the amount of information available, and the position of the persons who died. "A motor vehicle fatality was considered to be alcohol involved if there was at least one drinking driver or pedestrian in the fatal crash".

In the year 2003, there were 1205 serious injuries in single vehicle crashes. Of these, 506 were determined to be alcohol related. That is 42 % of all single vehicle injuries. There were 2563 serious injuries resulting from multi vehicle collisions. Of these, 252 or 9.8 % were alcohol related.

In the province of Ontario it is a minimum of $200 to see an emergency doctor before they run any tests or write on any paper. If we were to use that as a standard, the approximate cost on the medical system for just the serious alcohol related injuries would be $151,600 for 2003. How much medical equipment could be bought with those funds?

Saskatchewan

In the year 2003 there were 159 motor vehicle fatalities. Of those 159, 152 were found to involve alcohol in some way. That is 95.6% of all fatalities. 70 or 46.1% were directly attributed to alcohol.

There were 251 single vehicle crashes where serious injuries were sustained. Of those, 114 or 45.4% were alcohol related. In the same time span there were 454 multi vehicle collisions. Of those, 75 or 16.5% were alcohol related. According to the study, the difference between alcohol being present and being a contributing factor depends on the amount of information available, and the position of the persons who died. "A motor vehicle fatality was considered to be alcohol involved if there was at least one drinking driver or pedestrian in the fatal crash".

In the province of Ontario it is a minimum of $200 to see an emergency doctor before they run any tests or write on any paper. If we were to use that as a standard, the approximate cost on the medical system for just the serious alcohol related injuries would be 37,800. How much medical equipment could be purchased with these funds?

Manitoba

There were 118 motor vehicle fatalities in Manitoba for the year 2003. Of those 118, 111 were known to have alcohol involved in some way. That is 96.1% of all fatalities. 49 or 44.1% were confirmed as being alcohol related.

There were 225 single vehicle crashes where serious injuries were sustained. Of those injuries, 82 or 36.4% were found to be alcohol related. For this same time period, there were 321 multi vehicle collisions in Manitoba. 21 or 6.5% of these were classed as being alcohol related. According to the study, the difference between alcohol being present and being a contributing factor depends on the amount of information available, and the position of the persons who died. "A motor vehicle fatality was considered to be alcohol involved if there was at least one drinking driver or pedestrian in the fatal crash".

In the province of Ontario it is a minimum of $200 to see an emergency doctor before they run any tests or write on any paper. If we were to use that as a standard, the approximate cost on the medical system for just the serious alcohol related injuries would be $20,600. What medical supplies could be purchased with these funds?

Ontario

For the year2003 there were 977 vehicle crash fatalities. Of those 977, 854 were known to have had alcohol involvement of some sort. That is 84% of all vehicular fatalities. 279 or 32.7% were found to be directly related to alcohol.

During this same year there were 1281 serious injuries resulting from single vehicle crashes. Of these, 461 or 36% were alcohol related. There were 4046 serious injuries as a result of multi vehicle collisions. 397 or 9.8% were found to be alcohol related.

According to the study, the difference between alcohol being present and being a contributing factor depends on the amount of information available, and the position of the persons who died. "A motor vehicle fatality was considered to be alcohol involved if there was at least one drinking driver or pedestrian in the fatal crash".

In the province of Ontario it is a minimum of $200 to see an emergency doctor before they run any tests or write on any paper. If we were to use that as a standard, the approximate cost on the medical system for just the serious alcohol related injuries would be 171,600 at the very minimum. How much equipment could be purchased with these funds?

Quebec

For the year 2003, there were 692 vehicle fatalities, of which 643 were known to be linked with alcohol in some way. This is an astounding 92.9% of all fatalities for the province of Quebec. 213 or 33.1% of all fatalities were directly caused by alcohol impairment.

2093 serious injuries occured in single vehicle crashes during this year alone. 605 or 28.9% could be attributed to alcohol impairment. Multi vehicle collisions resulted in 5785 serious injuries. 315 or 5.4% were alcohol related. According to the study, the difference between alcohol being present and being a contributing factor depends on the amount of information available, and the position of the persons who died. "A motor vehicle fatality was considered to be alcohol involved if there was at least one drinking driver or pedestrian in the fatal crash".

In the province of Ontario it is a minimum of $200 to see an emergency doctor before they run any tests or write on any paper. If we were to use that as a standard, the approximate cost on the medical system for just the serious alcohol related injuries would be 184,000 at the very minimum. How much medical equipment could be purchased with these funds?

New Brunswick

There were 103 people who died in vehicle crashes in New Brunswick for the year 2003. In 96 of these deaths it was determined that alcohol was involved in some way. It was further determined that 40 or 41.7% were directly attributed to alcohol misuse.

There were 170 people seriously injured in single vehicle crashes in this year as well. 82 or 48% were alcohol related. There were 277 seriously injured people in multi vehicle collisions in New Brunswick. Of these, 29 or 10.5 were directly related to alcohol.

According to the study, the difference between alcohol being present and being a contributing factor depends on the amount of information available, and the position of the persons who died.Ê"ÒA motor vehicle fatality was considered to be alcohol involved if there was at least one drinking driver or pedestrian in the fatal crash".

In the province of Ontario it is a minimum of $200 to see an emergency doctor before they run any tests or write on any paper. If we were to use that as a standard, the approximate cost on the medical system for just the serious alcohol related injuries would be 22,200 at the very minimum. How many medical supplies could be purchased with these funds?

Nova Scotia

There were 77 deaths in motor vehicles for 2003. 76 or 98.7% were known to involve alcohol in some way. 34 or 44.7% could be directly linked to alcohol. During this time, there were 153 people seriously injured in single vehicle crashes. Of these, 73 or 47.7% were alcohol related. Serious injuries in multi vehicle accidents totaled 205. Of these injuries, 10 or 4.9% were found to be alcohol related. According to the study, the difference between alcohol being present and being a contributing factor depends on the amount of information available, and the position of the persons who died. "A motor vehicle fatality was considered to be alcohol involved if there was at least one drinking driver or pedestrian in the fatal crash".

In the province of Ontario it is a minimum of $200 to see an emergency doctor before they run any tests or write on any paper. If we were to use that as a standard, the approximate cost on the medical system for just the serious alcohol related injuries would be 8,800 at the very minimum. How many medical supplies could be purchased with these funds?

Prince Edward Island

There were 17 people killed in PEI in vehicular crashes.14 or 82.4% were linked to alcohol in some way. 9 or an incredible 64.3% were directly linked to alcohol.

There were 32 serious injuries in single vehicle crashes in 2003. Of these, 13 or 32.9% were alcohol related. Serious injuries sustained in multi vehicle collisions totaled 84, with 6 or 7.1% being attributed to alcohol.

According to the study, the difference between alcohol being present and being a contributing factor depends on the amount of information available, and the position of the persons who died. "A motor vehicle fatality was considered to be alcohol involved if there was at least one drinking driver or pedestrian in the fatal crash".

In the province of Ontario it is a minimum of $200 to see an emergency doctor before they run any tests or write on any paper. If we were to use that as a standard, the approximate cost on the medical system for just the serious alcohol related injuries would be 3,800 at the very minimum. How many medical supplies could be purchased with these funds?

Newfoundland and Labrador

There were 43 deaths in vehicle accidents for this province in 2003. Of those, alcohol was involved in some way IN EVERY SINGLE DEATH. 18 or 41.9% were found to be directly related to alcohol misuse.Ê

There were 85 people seriously injured in single vehicle crashes in 2003. Of these, 28 or 32.9% were attributed to alcohol. Multi vehicle injuries numbered 183. Of this 18 or 9.8% were attributed to alcohol. According to the study, the difference between alcohol being present and being a contributing factor depends on the amount of information available, and the position of the persons who died. "A motor vehicle fatality was considered to be alcohol involved if there was at least one drinking driver or pedestrian in the fatal crash".

In the province of Ontario it is a minimum of $200 to see an emergency doctor before they run any tests or write on any paper. If we were to use that as a standard, the approximate cost on the medical system for just the serious alcohol related injuries would be 9,200 at the very least. How many medical supplies could be purchased with these funds?

A Public Information Fact Sheet on Motor Vehicle and Traffic Safety Published by the National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationÕs National Center for Statistics and Analysis

In 2001, NHTSA began using a revised method Ñmultiple imputationÑ to estimate missing information about blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels for persons involved in fatal crashes. The alcohol estimates in this fact sheet are based on the new imputation method. The new method will enable NHTSA to improve the scope of alcohol involvement statistics generated from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). NHTSA has also calculated historical estimates of alcohol involvement from 1982 through 2000 using the new method. Instead of estimating alcohol involvement in the three categories used in the past (0.00, 0.01 to 0.09, and 0.10+ grams per deciliter [g/dl]), the new method estimates BAC levels over the entire range of plausible values from 0.00 to 0.94 g/dl. As a result, NHTSA will have the ability to report alcohol involvement at any BAC level. Because many states have adopted 0.08 g/dl as the legal threshhold for alcohol intoxication, NHTSA now estimates alcohol involvement in the following three categories: 0.00 g/dl, no alcohol; 0.01 to 0.07 g/dl, impaired; and 0.08+, intoxicated. More information on the new multiple imputation method, including detailed tabulations of alcohol involvement in various categories (age, sex, time of day, etc.), is available in NHTSA Technical Report DOT HS 809 403, Transitioning to Multiple Imputation: A New Method to Estimate Missing Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) Values in FARS.

Traffic fatalities in alcohol-related crashes rose slightly (by 0.1 percent) from 17,400 in 2001 to 17,419 in 2002. The 17,419 alcohol-related fatalities in 2002 (41 percent of total traffic fatalities for the year) represent a 5 percent reduction from the 18,290 alcohol-related fatalities reported in 1992 (47 percent of the total).

NHTSA estimates that alcohol was involved in 41 percent of fatal crashes and in 6 percent of all crashes in 2002.

The 17,419 fatalities in alcohol-related crashes during 2002 represent an average of one alcohol-related fatality every 30 minutes. An estimated 258,000 persons were injured in crashes where police reported that alcohol was present Ñ an average of one person injured approximately every 2 minutes.

Approximately 1.4 million drivers were arrested in 2001 for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics. This is an arrest rate of 1 for every 137 licensed drivers in the United States (2002 data not yet available).

In 2002, 35 percent of all traffic fatalities occurred in crashes in which at least one driver or nonoccupant had a BAC of 0.08 g/dl or greater. Sixty-eight percent of the 15,019 people killed in such crashes were themselves intoxicated. The remaining 32 percent were passengers, non-intoxicated drivers, or non-intoxicated non-occupants.

The rate of alcohol involvement in fatal crashes is more than 3 times as high at night as during the day (63 percent vs. 19 percent). For all crashes, the alcohol involvement rate is 5 times as high at night (15 percent vs. 3 percent).

In 2002, 31 percent of all fatal crashes during the week were alcohol- related, compared to 54 percent on weekends. For all crashes, the alcohol involvement rate was 4 percent during the week and 11 percent during the weekend.

From 1992 to 2002, intoxication rates (BAC of 0.08 g/dl or greater) decreased for drivers of all age groups involved in fatal crashes, except for the group of drivers 45 to 64 years old, which had the same rates in 1992 and 2002. Drivers over 64 years old experienced the largest decrease in intoxication rates (29 percent), followed by drivers 25 to 34 years old (20 percent).

The highest intoxication rates in fatal crashes in 2002 were recorded for drivers 21-24 years old (33 percent), followed by ages 25-34 (28 percent) and 35-44 (26 percent).

Intoxication rates for drivers in fatal crashes in 2002 were highest for motorcycle operators (31 percent) and lowest for drivers of large trucks (2 percent). The intoxication rate for drivers of light trucks (23 percent) was higher than that for passenger car drivers (22 percent).

Safety belts were used by only 23 percent of the fatally injured intoxicated drivers (BAC of 0.08 g/dl or greater), compared to 36 percent of fatally injured impaired drivers (BAC between 0.01 g/dl and 0.07 g/dl) and 53 percent of fatally injured sober drivers.

Fatally injured drivers with BAC levels of 0.08 g/dl or greater were 5 times as likely to have a prior conviction for driving while intoxicated compared to fatally injured sober drivers (10 percent and 2 percent, respectively). More than one-third (36 percent) of all pedestrians 16 years of age or older killed in traffic crashes in 2002 were intoxicated. By age group, the percentages ranged from a low of 10 percent for pedestrians 65 and over to a high of 53 percent for those 35 to 44 years old.

The driver, pedestrian, or both were intoxicated in 41 percent of all fatal pedestrian crashes in 2002. In these crashes, the intoxication rate for pedestrians was nearly triple the rate for drivers Ñ 34 percent and 13 percent, respectively. Both the pedestrian and the driver were intoxicated in 5 percent of the crashes that resulted in a pedestrian fatality.

In 2002, 84 percent (12,344) of the 14,662 drivers who had been drinking (with BAC 0.01 g/dl or higher) and were involved in fatal crashes had BACs at or above the intoxication level (0.08 g/dl).

All states and the District of Columbia now have 21-year-old minimum drinking age laws. NHTSA estimates that these laws have reduced traffic fatalities involving drivers 18 to 20 years old by 13 percent and have saved an estimated 21,887 lives since 1975. In 2002, an estimated 917 lives were saved by minimum drinking age laws.

British Columbia

There are 8627 non-temporary liquor licenses in BC.

Saskatchewan

There are 1,726 liquor permits in more than 400 communities. 284 in Saskatoon ands 263 in Regina.

Ontario

There are 16770 active licenses in Ontario. Break down of cities yet to come.

Alberta

There are approximately 6,030 liquor licenses in Alberta.

Banff = 74
Calgary 1639
Edmonton 1230
Jasper 50

Newfoundland/Labrador

There are a total of 2,971 liquor licenses in new Foundland and Labrador.