Drunk driving affects more than just the people driving drunk. Tragically, it is often innocent pedestrians or sober drivers who die while the drunk driver lives on. The victims of drunk driving are the drivers, their passengers, pedestrians, and other drivers and motorists.

Intoxicated Drivers: just over half of the Americans killed in alcohol related crashes were the intoxicated drivers themselves, or sometimes other drunk drivers. Vision blurry, judgement seriously compromised, and attention dangerously low, these drivers are not competent to drive. They may do alright in a situation that is almost second-nature to them, such as driving in their own neighborhood, but an unexpected situation which involves the driver's judgement is often fatal. To learn about alcohol's effects on driving, see Chapter 3.

Nonintoxicated Drivers: these innocent drivers were unable to evade the erratic, unpredictable driving of drunk drivers. For instance, a drunk driver may be driving on the wrong side of the road going around a turn or on the crest of a hill, where a sober driver on the right side of the road would not be able to get out of the way in time. To learn about how to identify and defend yourself against possible drunk drivers, see Chapter 4.

Passengers: about twenty percent of the Americans killed in crashes involving alcohol were the unfortunate passengers of drunk drivers. You should never get in a car with somebody who has been drinking. Sober passengers killed in crashes where the driver was intoxicated were in the wrong seat. Unfortunately, due to lack of foresight and knowledge, many people, sober or not, end up in the passenger seat. To learn more about keeping yourself out of these situations, see Chapter 4.

Nonoccupants: pedestrians, cyclists, and other nonoccupants, make up for another seventeen percent of the people killed in alcohol-related crashes. However, statistics show that if the nonoccupant is intoxicated, there is a much greater chance of injury.

Types of Fatalities in Fatal Crashes Involving at Least One Intoxicated Driver or Nonoccupant, 1997.

Type of Fatality	Number	Percent of Total
Intoxicated Drivers	7,003	55
Nonintoxicated Drivers	825	6
Passengers	2,652	21
Intoxicated Nonoccupants	1,695	13
Nonintoxicated Nonoccupants	529	4
Total Fatalities	12,704	100

Intoxicated In this case, the word intoxicated refers to a person who has been drinking enough alcohol to reach a BAC of .10 g/dL. This is about four drinks for a 150 lb person, but can vary.

Source: National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration, 1997 http://nhtsa.dot.gov/