March 12, 2010
/24-7PressRelease/ --
Female Drunk Driving Arrests on the Rise in Michigan, Across the Country
Police in Michigan are arresting more women for Operating While Intoxicated (OWI) and other drunk driving offenses than ever before. In fact, across the country, police departments have reported a dramatic rise in the number of women being booked for DUI and OWI.
In a study published last month, researchers found that alcohol-related accidents among young women had increased between 1995 and 2007--about 3.5 percent during the week and 2.2 percent on the weekends. During the same time period, young male drivers saw increases of 1.5 percent and 0.4 percent, respectively.
It's not just younger drivers, either. Last year, the FBI released numbers showing a 28.8 percent rise in DUI, DWI and OWI arrests for women, of all ages, between 1998 and 2007.
The conclusion we can draw from these numbers is clear. Nationwide, more women are driving drunk--more women are causing accidents, and many of these accidents are fatal.
In states like Michigan, drunk driving numbers show no sign of slowing down, and everyone from state lawmakers to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood are concerned about the implications.
It's not that women are being cited for drunk driving more than men--males still lead in drunk driving arrests by a considerable margin. Rather, researchers are troubled by the rate of increase law enforcement agencies are seeing.
Even in states where the number of male DUIs, DWIs or OWIs has decreased, the number of cited female drivers has continued to rise.
In Michigan in 2008, 405 female drivers with blood alcohol levels over the state limit of 0.08 were involved in fatal car crashes. Only six states had more fatal accidents involving female drivers.
Various parties and individuals have thrown out different explanations for the dramatic increase in female drunk driving arrests.
Some have blamed societal pressures, a desire to fit in and increased alcohol ads targeting women. Others see the increase as a response to the economic climate, in which many women have been pushed into the role of primary breadwinner. Still others think it's just a matter of police officers being less willing to let female drivers slide.
Whatever the reason, there's no question that female DUI, DWI and OWI offenses are trending upward and, if unchecked, could lead to even bigger concerns in the future.
Article provided by Larin & Leonard
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