HJAR Jan/Feb 2025

32 JAN / FEB 2025 I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS ADH CORNER COLUMN ADH CORNER EACH YEAR, thousands of Americans are hurt or killed by impaired driving. Impaired driving is defined as operating a moving ve- hicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, being distracted, or sleep deprived. The Arkansas Highway Safety Office (AHSO) lists the four “Ds”of impaired driving as drinking and driving; distracted driving; drugged driv- ing; and drowsy driving. Alcohol-related car crashes have long been a concern for Americans. As early as 1906, the first drunk-driving laws were enacted in New Jersey. In the late 1930s, physicians and scientists, realizing drunken driving had become a serious problem, developed a way to determine blood alcohol levels, and in 1964, the U.S. Government issued its first public information film warning about the dangers of drunken driving. Sadly, drunken driving continues to be a problem. The number of drunk-driving crashes have increased in recent years. The National High- way Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates 37 Americans are killed each day by an alcohol-impaired driver. According to Centers for Disease Control and Preven- tion (CDC), 11,654 people were killed in car crashes involving alcohol-impaired drivers in 2020, and 62% of those who died in those crashes were impaired. Between 2020 and 2022, those numbers increased. The NHTSA says in 2022, 13,524 Americans were killed in crashes involving alcohol. Our own state has seen a 26.3% increase in alcohol-related crashes between 2017 and 2022. One important thing that can be done to address drinking and driving is for physicians to screen their patients for risky drinking behaviors. One in three Americans is con- sidered to engage in “risky” drinking, which includes binge drinking and driving while intoxicated. It’s important for physicians IMPAIRED DRIVING Remains a Concern