Holiday rise in drunken driving traced to young adults

WASHINGTON - Drunken-driving accidents increase each year during the holiday season, and a large percentage are caused by drivers just over the legal drinking age, government officials said yesterday.

Nearly 40 percent of fatal crashes in the last two weeks of December involved drunken drivers, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data for 2002 through 2006.

"It's a fact of life for those of us that work in traffic safety that alcohol-related fatalities during the holiday season are going to increase," said David Kelly, NHTSA's acting administrator, as he announced plans to crack down on drunken driving during this period.

Those just over the legal drinking age are particularly at risk. Drivers 21 to 24 years old are involved in more fatal drunken-driving crashes than any other age group, the traffic safety agency's data indicate. In 2007, this age group accounted for 18 percent of all drunken drivers involved in deadly accidents.

To warn motorists about the dangers of drunken driving, the government is spending about $7 million on an advertising campaign to publicize increased drunken-driving enforcement during the next few weeks.

ASSOCIATED PRESS