link to page 10 link to page 1 link to page 1

    Alcohol/drugs
CRASH FACTSHEET
2012
     CRASH STATISTICS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2011
  Prepared by the Ministry of Transport

In 2011 driver alcohol/drugs were a contributing factor1 in 77 fatal traffic crashes, 360 serious injury
crashes and 970 minor injury crashes. These crashes resulted in 85 deaths, 466 serious injuries and
1,435 minor injuries. The total social cost of crashes involving alcohol/drugs was about $685 million; 22
percent of the social cost associated with all injury crashes.

Many studies show that the risk of being involved in a crash increases as a driver’s blood alcohol
concentration (BAC) increases. At high blood alcohol levels, the risk rapidly increases.

Relative risk of fatal crash by blood alcohol level
200
180
160
New Zealand adult limit
20+ years old
140
120
risk
in
100
ease
80
cr
In
60
40
20
0
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100 110
120 130 140 150
BAC (mg/100ml)
15–19 years
20–29 years
30+ years



The graph above shows the results of a New Zealand study of drivers involved in fatal crashes2. There is
a clear increase in risk as blood alcohol levels increase. As shown in the graph above and the table
below, the effect is more pronounced for young drivers. The calculation of risk is made in relation to that
of a sober driver aged 30+ years.


1 Alcohol/drugs as a contributing factor: Alcohol/drugs is listed as a factor when a driver’s blood or breath alcohol level is
above the legal limit, if drugs are proved to be in the driver’s blood, or when the attending officer suspects that alcohol/drug
consumption contributed to the crash. Additional definitions including those for casualties, fatal, serious and minor injuries and
social cost are included in Terminology at the end of the fact sheet.
2 Keall, Frith and Patterson (2004).

link to page 2

Relative risk of fatal crash by

blood alcohol level
30+
20–29
15–19
BAC
years
years
years
0
1
3
5.3
30
2.9
8.7
15
50
5.8
17.5
30.3
80
16.5
50.2
86.6

The table above shows that at 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood a driver is about sixteen times as
likely to be involved in a fatal crash as the same driver with a zero blood alcohol level.

People with a high blood alcohol level are more likely to be injured or die in a given crash than those who
are sober3.

Contribution of alcohol/drugs

As crash severity increases, so does the contribution of alcohol/drugs. Over the years 2009–2011,
alcohol/drugs were a factor in 34 percent of fatal crashes, 21 percent of serious injury crashes and 12
percent of minor injury crashes.

Percentage of crashes  with alcohol or
drugs as  a  contributing factor
(2009–2011)
Minor
Serious
Fatal
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
Percentage of crashes



3 Evans (2004)

Alcohol/drugs and speed in fatal crashes
(2009–2011)

The combination of alcohol/drugs and
Other
speed contributes to 17 percent of fatal
54%
crashes. Alcohol/drugs alone contribute
to 16 percent, and speed alone to 13
Alcohol/drugs
percent, of fatal crashes.
and speed
17%
Alcohol/drugs
Speed only
only
13%
16%


Alcohol/drugs in fatal crashes by road

type (2009–2011)
Of all fatal crashes, 24 percent are open
road crashes with alcohol/drugs as a
Open road
contributing factor. A further 10 percent
Urban road
with alcohol
are urban crashes with alcohol/drugs as
no
or drugs
alcohol/drugs
a contributing factor.
24%
18%

Overall, alcohol/drugs were a
Urban road
contributing factor in 36 percent of urban
with alcohol
fatal crashes and 33 percent of open
or drugs
road fatal crashes.
10%
Open road no
alcohol/drugs
48%


Who dies?

For every 100 alcohol or drug-impaired drivers or riders who died in road crashes, 50 of their passengers
and 19 sober road users died with them.

Deaths in crashes where alcohol/drugs were a contributing factor
(2009–2011)
Passengers with
Drunk/drugged
Other road
Percentage of
Casualty age
drunk/drugged
drivers
users
all deaths
drivers
0-14
1
14
2
33%
15-19
29
41
2
52%
20-24
50
23
8
50%
25-29
24
10
3
47%
30-39
45
8
4
43%
40-49
37
8
6
38%
50-59
25
4
7
31%
60+
8
2
9
8%
Unknown
0
0
0
0%
Total
219
110
41
35%

This table shows the deaths resulting from crashes with alcohol/drug-affected drivers. In addition,
between 2009 and 2011 there were 32 drunk pedestrians who died on New Zealand roads (in some of
these cases a drunk driver was also involved).

Time series

Crashes and casualties with alcohol/drugs as a contributing factor

Crashes with driver alcohol/drugs as a

Casualties from crashes with driver
factor
alcohol/drugs as a factor

Fatal
Injury

Deaths
Injuries
Year
Number
%
Number
%

Number
%
Number
%
1991
225
41%
2424
21%

269
41%
3935
24%
1992
221
41%
2282
21%

273
42%
3672
23%
1993
185
36%
1906
18%

227
38%
3042
20%
1994
190
38%
2044
18%

225
39%
3300
20%
1995
162
32%
2118
18%

200
34%
3421
20%
1996
129
28%
1652
16%

148
29%
2664
18%
1997
127
27%
1389
16%

147
27%
2317
17%
1998
118
27%
1347
16%

142
28%
2233
18%
1999
101
23%
1147
14%

122
24%
1903
16%
2000
98
26%
1071
14%

109
24%
1738
16%
2001
103
26%
1117
13%

117
26%
1876
15%
2002
96
26%
1308
13%

110
27%
2015
14%
2003
125
31%
1249
12%

142
31%
1982
14%
2004
115
31%
1258
12%

133
31%
1923
14%
2005
100
29%
1352
13%

115
28%
2024
14%
2006
100
29%
1585
14%

110
28%
2404
16%
2007
119
32%
1621
14%

130
31%
2408
15%
2008
105
32%
1637
14%

121
33%
2381
16%
2009
115
34%
1540
14%

140
37%
2347
16%
2010
123
37%
1414
13%

144
38%
2119
15%
2011
77
30%
1330
14%

85
30%
1901
15%
Note: This table shows crashes and all casualties from crashes in which at least one driver was affected by alcohol/drugs. Not
included are the crashes in which only the pedestrians, cyclists and passengers were affected by alcohol/drugs.

Alcohol/drug affected drivers involved in fatal crashes

Drivers affected by alcohol/drugs for selected groups

15–19 years only 20–24 years only
All males
All females
Total
Year
Number
%
Number
%
Number
%
Number
%
Number
%
1991
39
34%
74
43%
203
32%
32
18%
240
29%
1992
42
43%
65
41%
213
33%
21
13%
236
29%
1993
35
37%
57
40%
178
29%
15
12%
196
26%
1994
22
29%
53
39%
177
30%
18
13%
195
26%
1995
28
33%
43
33%
141
23%
24
14%
166
21%
1996
26
28%
35
35%
117
22%
14
10%
132
20%
1997
15
19%
31
33%
113
21%
21
13%
135
19%
1998
16
21%
23
22%
103
20%
17
11%
122
18%
1999
14
19%
21
21%
82
15%
21
14%
103
15%
2000
20
33%
24
34%
89
19%
14
10%
104
17%
2001
22
32%
20
27%
95
20%
14
11%
109
18%
2002
14
28%
22
34%
88
21%
10
7%
98
18%
2003
24
32%
24
32%
116
24%
9
6%
125
20%
2004
21
26%
21
29%
98
21%
23
17%
121
20%
2005
17
20%
23
33%
86
20%
15
15%
101
19%
2006
19
30%
20
31%
84
20%
17
13%
101
19%
2007
19
29%
28
38%
98
22%
20
15%
118
21%
2008
16
25%
30
43%
94
26%
16
14%
110
23%
2009
22
39%
23
36%
93
24%
24
19%
117
23%
2010
22
36%
32
47%
105
27%
18
16%
124
25%
2011
13
41%
20
37%
70
23%
8
10%
78
20%
Note: This table includes drivers of all types of motorised vehicles, including motorcycles. For example, in 2011 23 percent of all
male drivers involved in fatal crashes were affected by alcohol/drugs, compared to 10 percent of female drivers.
Columns do not necessarily add to the total as sex is not recorded for some drivers.

Drivers involved in fatal crashes

Drivers involved in  fatal  crashes by vehicle type

(2009–2011)

From 2009 to 2011, 26 percent of car
and van drivers and 25 percent of
Other
No alcohol/drugs
motorcyclists involved in fatal crashes
Alcohol/drug af f ected
were affected by alcohol/drugs. Three
Motorcycle
percent of truck drivers involved in
fatal crashes were affected by
alcohol/drugs. There were no crashes
Truck
affected by alcohol or drugs involving
bus or taxi drivers.

Car/van
0
100
200
300
400
Number of drivers (annual average)

Alcohol/drug affected drivers involved in fatal crashes by age
group (annual average 2009–2011)
45%
40
40%
p
Number  of alcohol/drug
35
u
affected drivers
ro
35%
30
Percentage of age group
s
e g
30%
25
ag
river
in
25%
f d
s
20
o
20%
er
river
15
b
15%
m
f d
u
o
10
N
e
10%
tag
5
5%
cen
0%
0
er
P
15-19
20-24
25-29
30-34
35-39
40-44
45-49
50-54
55-59
60+
Age groups (years)


Drivers affected by alcohol/drugs (2009–2011)

Males
Females
Total
Age
Number
%
Number
%
Number
%
15-19
50
42%
8
24%
58
38%
20-24
61
44%
15
30%
76
40%
25-29
28
35%
4
13%
32
29%
30-34
27
30%
4
24%
31
29%
35-39
26
25%
4
19%
31
25%
40-44
28
29%
4
17%
32
27%
45-49
14
13%
1
5%
15
12%
50-54
18
21%
4
16%
22
20%
55-59
7
11%
3
13%
10
12%
60+
7
4%
3
4%
10
4%
Total
268
25%
50
16%
321
23%

Note: Rows and columns do not add up to the totals because the age or sex of some drivers was not recorded.

Of all drivers involved in fatal crashes, the 20-24 age group is the most likely to be affected by
alcohol/drugs. For drivers aged over 35 years old, alcohol/drugs decrease as a contributing factor in fatal
crashes.

Largely a male problem

•  Of the alcohol/drug-affected drivers in fatal crashes, 84 percent were male.
•  Only 16 percent of female drivers in fatal crashes were affected by alcohol/drugs compared
with 25 percent of male drivers.
•  There were, on average, 89 male drivers and 17 female drivers affected by alcohol/drugs in
fatal crashes each year between 2009 and 2011.
•  The difference between the sexes still exists when age and vehicle type are taken into
account. For example, of the 20–24 year old car drivers in fatal crashes, 30 percent of the
women and 49 percent of the men were affected by alcohol/drugs.

Disqualified and never
Drivers in fatal crashes:  percentage  of each licence
licensed drivers in fatal
status affected by drugs/alcohol  (2009–2011)
crashes are much more likely
to be affected by
Full
alcohol/drugs (61 percent of
disqualified, 50 percent of
Unknown/other
never licensed) than drivers
s
u
with a full licence (15
at
Restricted
percent).

ce st
Learner
Disqualified drivers comprise
icen
L
11 percent of the
Never licensed
alcohol/drug affected drivers
Disqualified
in fatal crashes.

0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
Drivers with restricted or
Percentage affected by  alcohol/drugs
learner licences are more
likely to be affected by

alcohol/drugs than those with
full licences. However, this
Licence status of drivers affected by  alcohol/drugs in
fatal crashes (2009–2011)
group falls into the younger
age categories, which are
associated with more risky
driving behaviour overall.
Disqualified
11%

Restricted

17%
Unknown/other
Note: Unknown/other includes
9%
Never licensed
drivers with an expired, unknown or
5%
wrong licence class. Disqualified
includes drivers who have been
Learner
forbidden to drive.
11%

Full
47%

Types of crash

Types of fatal crashes with driver alcohol/drugs as a factor

(annual average 2009–2011)
Loss of control and
head-on crashes
Overtaking
are the most
Head on
common types of
fatal crash for
Lost control/off road
drivers affected by
Obstruction/rear end
alcohol/drugs.
About 80 percent
Intersection
Alcohol/drugs
of the fatal crashes
No alcohol/drugs
in which
Other
alcohol/drugs were
Pedestrian
a factor fall into
these categories.
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140

Crashes

When do alcohol/drug crashes occur?
Fatal crashes with driver  alcohol/drugs  as  a factor
by time of day and day of week (annual average 2009–2011)
9
100
8
80
7
es
e
6
ash
60
tag
5
l cr
o
4
cen
h
40
er
co
3
P
2
f al
20
o
1
er
b
0
0
m
u
Mon
Tues
Wed
Thurs
Fri
Sat
Sun
N
Day of week / hour of day
Number of fatal alcohol crashes
Percentage of all fatal crashes that have alcohol as a factor

Note: A week is divided into 4-hour blocks, beginning 0000–0359 Monday, with days labelled at 0000 hours.

Fatal alcohol/drug crashes by time of day and day of week
(2009–2011)

Day (0600–1759)
Evening (1800–2159)
Night (2200–0559)
Day
Number
%
Number
%
Number
%
Monday
9
13%
5
31%
4
33%
Tuesday
7
10%
8
40%
13
68%
Wednesday
10
14%
5
25%
22
67%
Thursday
10
13%
12
46%
18
69%
Friday
8
11%
19
54%
34
69%
Saturday
19
23%
20
65%
47
64%
Sunday
18
22%
15
63%
11
55%
Total
81
15%
84
49%
149
64%
Note: On the day shown night begins at 2200 and finishes the following day at 0559.

Late at night or in the early morning, from Friday night through to Sunday morning, are the most common
times for fatal crashes that involve alcohol/drugs as a contributing factor.

Drivers who die in road crashes

Blood alcohol measurements are often available from the post-mortem examinations of drivers and
motorcycle riders who die in road crashes. The table below shows how many were tested and how many
of those had a blood alcohol level above 80mg/100ml of blood (the legal limit for drivers aged 20 years
and over).
Blood alcohol levels of drivers and motorcycle riders who died in road crashes

Percent over 80 mg/100 ml
Adjusted for non-testing*

Number  Number
%
Number over
of all
of those
Estimate of
Estimate of

died
tested
tested  80 mg/100 ml
drivers
tested
number over  percent over
Year
(A)
(B)
(C)
(C÷A)
(C÷B)
80 mg/100 ml  80 mg/100 ml
1990
374
277
74%
137
37%
50%
172
46%
1991
342
240
70%
108
32%
45%
138
40%
1992
361
240
67%
98
27%
41%
129
36%
1993
333
233
70%
88
26%
38%
106
32%
1994
333
252
76%
105
32%
42%
127
38%
1995
314
237
76%
78
25%
33%
93
30%
1996
283
201
71%
66
23%
33%
84
30%
1997
304
218
72%
46
15%
21%
63
21%
1998
271
183
68%
56
21%
31%
74
27%
1999
293
215
73%
50
17%
23%
61
21%
2000
273
179
66%
55
20%
31%
58
21%
2001
267
204
76%
44
17%
22%
55
21%
2002
246
198
81%
52
21%
26%
60
24%
2003
262
191
73%
59
23%
31%
70
27%
2004
255
197
77%
57
22%
29%
69
27%
2005
237
171
72%
45
19%
26%
58
25%
2006
225
174
77%
46
20%
26%
54
24%
2007
241
196
81%
56
23%
29%
65
27%
2008
211
171
81%
53
25%
31%
59
28%
2009
238
191
80%
57
24%
30%
66
28%
2010
227
181
80%
59
26%
33%
68
30%
2011
183
138
75%
42
23%
30%
48
26%

* If all drivers who die in crashes were tested, the number with a blood alcohol level over 80mg/100ml
would be higher than the number shown in the table (column C). However, drivers who are not tested
are less likely to have a high blood alcohol level than tested drivers. This is because blood tests are
more often taken in situations where alcohol is suspected to have contributed to the fatal crash. If test
results were available for all drivers who die in crashes, it is likely that the actual percentage of drivers
with a blood alcohol level above 80mg/100ml would lie between the two measures shown on the table
(C÷A and C÷B). The values in the shaded section of the table are estimates of what the results would be
if blood tests had been performed for all drivers who died in crashes.

Blood   alcohol   levels of  drivers who died in  crashes

(2009–2011)
This graph shows the distribution of
60
blood alcohol levels for drivers who
50
were tested and had a blood alcohol
level above 30mg/100ml. Many of the
40
drivers who died had blood alcohol
rs
e 30
v
levels well in excess of the legal limit
ri
D
(of 80mg/100ml). Over half of those
20
who tested positive had a blood
10
alcohol level over 150mg/100ml.
0
50
80
o
o
100
350
o
o 120
o 150
o 200
o 250
o 300
o 350
er
31 t
51 t
v
81 t
O
101 t
121 t
151 t
201 t
251 t
301 t
Blood alcohol level  (mg/100ml)

Seatbelts

Drivers affected by alcohol are less likely to wear seatbelts than sober drivers. For the car and van
drivers who died between 2009 and 2011, 47 percent of those who had a blood alcohol level above
the legal limit were not restrained at the time of the crash. This compares to 15 percent for drivers
whose blood alcohol level was known to be below the limit (restraint use was not recorded for
about 15 percent of the drivers who die, so the level of restraint use may be even lower than
indicated).

The recent history of drink-driving legislation

•  Until 1969 the law prohibited drunk driving, which meant the police had to prove driver impairment.
•  In 1969 100mg/100ml was set as the legal blood alcohol limit and preliminary breath screening procedures were
established.
•  The first national blitzes took place in July and December of 1978.
•  The legal blood alcohol level was reduced in December 1978 to 80mg/100ml and evidential breath testing was
introduced with a breath alcohol limit of 500µg/l.
•  Section 30A of the Transport Act 1962 became effective in December 1983. It targeted recidivist convicted
drunk drivers. Drivers convicted twice within 5 years, where one of the offences was a high blood or breath
alcohol level, were disqualified for a minimum of 2 years. Before their licences could be restored they had to be
assessed as no longer dependent on alcohol.
•  Random stopping started in November 1984. Drivers were stopped at checkpoints, but only tested if a police
officer suspected alcohol had been consumed.
•  In 1988, the legal breath alcohol limit was reduced from 500 to 400µg/l.
•  In April 1993, compulsory breath testing (CBT) was introduced and the legal blood and breath alcohol limits for
those under 20 years were lowered to 30mg/100ml and 150µg/l, respectively.
•  In July 1996, the law relating to confiscation of vehicles owned by serious repeat traffic offenders (including
drunk drivers) was strengthened.
•  In March 1999, higher penalties were introduced for drivers on their third or subsequent drink driving offence.
•  In May 1999, mandatory licence suspension for 28 days was introduced for drivers caught driving while grossly
intoxicated (breath or blood alcohol level above 800µg/l or 160mg/100ml, respectively). Also introduced was
vehicle impoundment for disqualified driving. A major reason for licence disqualification is drink driving. At the
same time, mandatory licence carriage and photo driver licences were introduced.
•  In December 1999, the minimum alcohol purchase age was lowered from 20 to 18 years.
•  On 16 January 2006 amendments were introduced that lowered the threshold for mandatory licence suspension
for 28 days from 160mg/100ml to 130mg/100ml. Additional penalties targeting repeat drink drivers were also
introduced: on the second offence at levels beyond the adult legal limits (within the previous 4 years) immediate
28-day licence suspension; on the third offence at levels beyond the adult legal limits (within the previous 4
years), immediate 28-day licence suspension and 28-day impoundment of the vehicle. Finally, section 65 of the
Land Transport Act 1998 was strengthened by widening the criteria to include drink drivers who had three or
more drink driving-related convictions (of any level) within a 5 year period. Also the mandatory minimum licence
disqualification period was changed to 1 year and 1 day (previously 2 years).
•  On 1 November 2009 a new offence was created of ‘driving while impaired and with evidence in the
bloodstream of a qualifying drug’ (Land Transport Amendment Act 2009). Under the new law police are
empowered, where there is good cause to suspect that a driver has consumed a drug, to require the driver to
undertake a compulsory impairment test. If the driver cannot successfully complete the test, the police officer
may require the driver to provide a blood sample for testing. Drugs targeted include opiates, amphetamines,
cannabis, sedatives, antidepressants and methadone. The list will be reviewed from time to time in the light of
research, and changes in New Zealanders’ drug taking habits. The penalties generally reflect the penalties for
drink driving.
•  On 7 August 2011 the legal breath and blood limit for those under 20 years was lowered to zero. The collection
of research information on the number of drivers, involved in fatal or serious injury crashes, whose alcohol
levels were between BAC 0.05 and 0.08 also began.

Terminology

Fatal injuries: injuries that result in death within 30 days of the crash.

Serious injuries: fractures, concussions, internal injuries, crushings, severe cuts and lacerations,
severe general shock necessitating medical treatment and any other injury involving removal to and
detention in hospital.

Minor injuries: injuries of a minor nature such as sprains and bruises.

Social cost: a measure of the total cost of road crashes to the nation. It includes: loss of life and life
quality; loss of productivity; and medical, legal, court, and property damage costs.

Casualty: person who sustained fatal, serious or minor injuries.

Additional Information

For further information on crash statistics see Motor Vehicle Crashes in New Zealand, the annual
statistical statement produced by the Ministry of Transport. This publication is available online at
www.transport.govt.nz.

Enquires relating to crash statistics may be directed to the Ministry of Transport, PO Box 3175,
Wellington, or by email at [email address]. For more information about road safety, visit the
Ministry of Transport website at www.transport.govt.nz.

A selection of fact sheets is available via the research section of the Ministry of Transport website.
These include:
Crash facts:
Travel survey:
•
Alcohol and drugs
•
Comparing travel modes
•
Speed
•
Driver travel
•
Cyclists
•
Parking
•
Diverted attention
•
Walking
•
Fatigue
•
Cycling
•
Motorcyclists
•
Public transport
•
Pedestrians
•
Motorcycling
•
Trucks
•
Risk on the road
•
Young drivers
  Introduction and mode

comparison

  Drivers and their

passengers

  Pedestrians, cyclists and

motorcyclists



References:
Evans, L. (2004) Traffic Safety, p141.
Keall, M. D., Frith, W. J & Patterson, T. L. (2004) The influence of alcohol, age and the number of
passengers on the night-time risk of driver injury in New Zealand. Accident Analysis and Prevention,
36(1), 49–61.

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