
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, December 1, 1993                   TAG: 9312010108
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Short

DRUNKEN-DRIVING DEATHS DECLINE BY 20 PERCENT

Alcohol-related traffic deaths declined 20 percent from 1990 to 1992 - from 22,084 to 17,699 - in the largest two-year drop ever recorded, the Transportation Department said Tuesday.

"This dramatic reduction shows that our efforts to stop drunk driving are getting results. More needs to be done, but clearly we are on the right track," said Transportation Secretary Federico Pena.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it attributes the decline to tougher law enforcement and more awareness, particularly among teen-agers, of the dangers of drinking and driving.

Pena said alcohol use still remains the single largest factor in traffic accidents, adding $14 billion to the nation's yearly health care costs.

He urged continuing cooperation among government officials, private organizations and industry and noted that National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month begins today.

More than 1,500 people were killed in alcohol-related highway crashes last December. - Associated Press

Keywords:
FATALITY

by CNB