Blood Alcohol Concentration Testing and Reporting by the States [Traffic Tech]

NHTSA · 2012 · ROSA P / United States. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

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Summary

This National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) report addresses the critical need for accurate and complete Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) data to monitor alcohol-impaired driving, develop prevention programs, and evaluate their effectiveness. The study examines why BAC testing and reporting rates vary significantly across U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, and identifies strategies used by states that achieve high compliance. The motivation stems from the observation that while nationwide reporting improved slightly between 1997 and 2009, substantial disparities remained. In 2008, BACs were known for 75.9% of fatally injured drivers and only 29.3% of surviving drivers, falling short of NHTSA’s suggested goals of 80% and 60%, respectively. The analysis utilizes data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) for the years 1997 through 2009. It categorizes states based on their legal frameworks for BAC testing: those with mandatory testing laws for all drivers in fatal crashes, those applying a "probable cause" standard, and those with intermediate or statistical testing provisions. The report also incorporates case studies of nine states that achieved high testing and reporting rates to identify specific procedural successes. The study distinguishes between three scenarios for fatally injured drivers: death at the scene, death after hospital admission, and survival, noting that each presents different logistical barriers involving law enforcement, medical examiners, and coroners. The findings reveal that legal mandates significantly influence testing rates. States with mandatory testing laws had median and average testing rates 13–15 percentage points higher than those relying on probable cause. However, laws are not the sole determinant; West Virginia achieved a 95.3% testing rate without a mandatory law, while Utah tested only 44.6% despite having one. The type of death investigation system also matters: states with medical examiner systems or consistent statewide policies achieved higher rates (often over 85%) compared to those with coroner systems, which often suffer from inconsistent practices, lack of training, or resource constraints in rural areas. For surviving drivers, probable cause states had a median testing rate of 26.2%, with seven states testing fewer than 10%, indicating a likely failure to test over half of impaired drivers. The report concludes that achieving high BAC testing and reporting requires a combination of legal, policy, and procedural strategies. Key recommendations include adopting laws that require testing for all drivers in fatal crashes, eliminating probable cause requirements for surviving drivers, and establishing statewide policies for comprehensive testing. Operational improvements involve ensuring medical examiners and coroners have access to hospital records, standardizing reporting forms, implementing electronic reporting, and maintaining close interagency communication. Training for law enforcement and medical personnel, along with adequate funding for testing costs, is identified as essential for overcoming barriers, particularly in rural areas where coroners may lack equipment or timely access to bodies.

Key finding

States with mandatory BAC testing laws achieved median testing rates 13-15 percentage points higher than probable cause states, yet several probable cause states exceeded the 80% testing goal through strong administrative policies.

Methodology

dataset

Provenance

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