Officials surprised by rise in number of women drinking and driving

Just in time for Georgia’s annual crackdown on intoxicated drivers comes a study from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) which examined the number of women drivers involved in fatal auto accidents.  About 2,000 fatalities a year involve a female driver who has been drinking.

The study looked at data from 2007 and 2008, and found that the number of women involved in these fatal alcohol-related crashes increased or remained flat in 15 states compared to 13 states for male drivers.

To put the findings in perspective, consider that the number of alcohol-impaired drivers dropped by 9 percent in 2008.  This means that even though the overall number of drunk drivers is going down, women are making up a greater percentage of that number.

A longer-term study by the FBI showed that from 1998 to 2007 the number of women caught driving while intoxicated went up 29 percent.  During the same time period, the number of men caught drunk driving increased by only 7.5 percent.

Even though the percentage of women drinking and driving is going up, men still make up the bulk of offenders.  About four times as many men are arrested for driving under the influence as women each year.

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