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Youth who drink alcohol are more likely to experience:
• School problems, such as higher absence and poor or failing
   grades.
• Social problems, such as fighting and lack of participation in
   youth activities.
• Legal problems, such as arrest for driving or physically hurting
   someone while drunk.
• Physical problems, such as hangovers or illnesses.
• Unwanted, unplanned, and unprotected sexual activity.
• Disruption of normal growth and sexual development.
• Physical and sexual assault.

• Higher risk for suicide and homicide.
• Alcohol-related car crashes and other unintentional injuries, 
   such as burns, falls, and drowning.
• Memory problems.
• Abuse of other drugs.
• Changes in brain development that may have life-long effects.
• Death from alcohol poisoning.
 

Kansas law enforcement takes drunken driving very seriously year round because of the unacceptable toll it takes on lives and property. Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest. is a national campaign organized by NHTSA, which focuses on combining high-visibility enforcement with heightened public awareness efforts. The campaign is designed to remind motorists that impaired driving is no accident, and will not be dealt with lightly.

Impaired driving continues to be a social scourge that kills and maims thousands of Americans every year. Every hour, drivers are arrested for driving under the influence or driving while intoxicated and for many, this will not be their first offense. Nationwide, one person every 39 minutes, approximately 37 people a day, or more than 13,000 people each year die in traffic crashes involving a vehicle driver or a motorcycle operator with a Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of 0.08 or higher, which is the legal limit across all of the United States.

Statewide in 2007 there were 3,292 alcohol-related crashes that resulted in 118 deaths and 1,944 injuries.

28.8% of all fatal traffic crashes were alcohol-related.

Kansas averages 10
alcohol-related crashes each day.

Two out of five Kansans will be involved in alcohol-related crashes sometime in their lives.

The Cost

Alcohol is a factor in 23% of Kansas’ crash costs.

Alcohol-related crashes in Kansas cost the public an estimated $0.9 billion in 2000, including $0.4 billion in monetary costs and almost $0.5 billion in quality of life losses. (For definitions of the cost categories, see the definitions fact sheet.) Alcohol-related crashes are deadlier and more serious than other crashes. People other than the drinking driver paid $0.6 billion of the alcohol-related crash bill.

Costs per Alcohol-Related Injury

The average alcohol-related fatality in Kansas costs $3.4 million:
• $1.1 million in monetary costs
• $2.3 million in quality of life losses
The estimated cost per injured survivor of an alcohol-related crash averaged $97,000:
• $48,000 in monetary costs
• $49,000 in quality of life losses

Costs per Mile Driven


Crash costs in Kansas averaged:
• $4.60 per mile driven at BACs of .10 and above
• $2.00 per mile driven at BACs between .08-.09
• $0.10 per mile driven at BACs of .00

Costs per Drink


The societal costs of alcohol-related crashes in Kansas averaged $1.00 per drink consumed. People other than the drinking driver paid $0.60 per drink.

Impact on Auto Insurance Rates

Alcohol-related crashes accounted for an estimated 17% of Kansas’ auto insurance payments. Reducing alcohol-related crashes by 10% would save $20 million in claims payments and loss adjustment expenses.