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New Physician Group Calls on Governors in Fatal Fifteen States to Address Impaired Driving

Announcement Comes as Motorists Begin Winter Holiday Driving Season

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL (12/07/04) - A new physician-lead traffic safety advocacy group called End Needless Death on Our Roadways (END), announced a list of the fifteen deadliest states in the country for impaired driving and called on Governors and other leaders to join them in addressing the deadly problem. The Fatal Fifteen are states in which 44 percent or more of all traffic fatalities are alcohol related. The Fatal Fifteen, which includes Illinois, fourteen other states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico were announced as motorists begin the busy and fatal winter holiday driving season.

"Motorists are facing an epidemic of death on our roadways, and tragically many of these fatalities and serious injuries could have been prevented, according to Dr. Andrea Barthwell, Co-Chairperson of END and former Deputy Director for Demand Reduction for the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. We are calling on each of the fifteen Governors of the Fatal Fifteen as well as the Mayor of Washington, D.C. to create or refocus a task force in their states dedicated to exploring new and innovative strategies for addressing impaired and other dangerous driving behaviors," Barthwell continued.

"The physicians and other healthcare provider members of END are committed to working with the states and other traffic safety advocates by providing our leadership, expertise and knowledge in addressing and preventing dangerous driving behaviors," Barthwell continued.

"Because of their experience, physicians and other healthcare providers can speak with passion, expertise and authority on the devastation car crashes can cause. As an organized group, END will be a powerful force for good in the effort to end needless death on our roadways," according to Mr. Donald McNamara, Regional Administrator for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

"Physicians, nurses and other healthcare providers see the effects of motor vehicle crashes every day. Often, they are put in the unenviable position of telling parents, children, spouses and friends that their loved ones have died or will never be the same again," he added.

December is a most appropriate time to introduce END. "While the holiday season is a time for excitement, celebration and family, it is also a time of impaired driving and senseless death and injury. National statistics show that last year, over 17,000 motorists were killed nationwide in traffic crashes involving impaired drivers. December is one of the year's peak impaired driving seasons and young male drivers between the ages of 21 and 34, are involved in the highest number of impaired driving crashes. Adding to this tragedy, this is also the age group least likely to buckle their safety belts," McNamara said.

"Statistics, however, do not begin to tell the story of the real pain and destruction caused by impaired drivers," according to Dr. Thomas Esposito, Co - Chairperson of END and Director of Loyola University Medical Center\rquote s Injury Analysis and Prevention Program.

"Every December physicians and other health care workers treat both impaired drivers and their victims at roadside crash scenes and in hospital emergency rooms. At times, the carnage seen on our roads and in the emergency departments resembles a war zone," he added.

"While the effects of stricter impaired driving laws and a general change in public attitude has lowered the number of impaired driving deaths over the years, the reduction in the death rate has reached a plateau. Unfortunately, the levels are still unacceptably high. "Physicians and other healthcare workers can potentially have a large role in decreasing incidences of impaired driving simply because of their contact with patients who have alcohol and drug use problems," Esposito continued.

"Patients with alcohol use problems are more likely to drive impaired and have higher rates of illness and motor vehicle crash injury than the general population. In fact, nearly 50 percent of severely injured patients are injured while under the influence of alcohol," Esposito said.

"Treating the alcohol use problem by implementing a protocol of alcohol screening and brief intervention can lead to reductions in impaired driving episodes, which in turn leads to fewer alcohol-related crashes," according to Dr. Carl A. Soderstrom, Professor of Surgery, University of Maryland & National Board Member, Mothers Against Drunk Drivers.

"The screening process involves asking patients a few simple questions concerning drinking habits and consumption. An assessment is completed for patients who respond positively to one or more of the questions. The patient then undergoes a brief intervention where he/she is counseled and referred to appropriate care," he stated.

"Studies have determined that brief interventions, which are short 5-15 minute counseling sessions designed to assist the patient confront the negative consequences of his/her alcohol consumption, have proven effective in decreasing consumption among at-risk drinkers," Soderstrom concluded.

While the physicians and other healthcare providers of END are offering their expertise to the Governors in the Fatal Fifteen states, they will make their members available to governmental and other organizations interested in preventing death and injuries due to motor vehicle crashes.

The Fatal Fifteen states are Connecticut, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, and Wisconsin.

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