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All Wisconsin Alcohol Risk Education

AWARE (All Wisconsin Alcohol Risk Education): Facts To Be AWARE Of

AWARE (All-Wisconsin Alcohol Risk Education) is a UW Health-convened coalition to improve the health and safety of Wisconsin residents in the fight against alcohol abuse.
 
To further reinforce its message, AWARE drafted the following letter for members of the Wisconsin State Legislature (February 23, 2009).
 
To: Member of the Wisconsin State Legislature
From: AWARE
 
As some of you know, a newly created statewide coalition has been formed to increase public awareness of alcohol abuse in Wisconsin, reinforce responsible alcohol use and stress solutions to problems related to alcohol abuse. Below are some key facts. We look forward to working with you on improving the health and safety of all residents.
  1. Alcohol abuse and its consequences is a public health crisis in Wisconsin. Rates of alcohol dependence, alcohol abuse and alcohol-related motor vehicle fatalities are higher in Wisconsin than in the United States as a whole.
  2. Wisconsin leads the country with the highest U.S. rates of alcohol consumption, binge drinking and heavy drinking.
  3. 457,000 adults and adolescents or about 10 percent of the population need services for substance abuse each year.
  4. Each year there are 45,400 liquor law violations; 11,000 of these among adolescents. About 40,000 people are arrested each year for OWI.
  5. Alcohol-related driving fatalities increased by 2 percent in 2006-07 when nationwide alcohol-related driving fatalities were reduced by 3.7 percent.
  6. Which group causes more carnage on WI roadways: Repeat drunk drivers or those who have never been charged with an OWI? Those who have never been charged with drunk driving.
  7. According to WI DOT, figures show between 1991 and 2002, 75 percent of fatal or serious-injury crashes involving drivers who have consumed alcohol were caused by those never before arrested for operating while intoxicated.
  8. National research shows that the biggest deterrent to drunk driving is the perceived likelihood of being caught. That's why sobriety checkpoints can have a huge impact.
  9. Legalizing sobriety checkpoints does not mean mandatory road blocks. It simply allows local law enforcement the use of another tool to reduce drunk driving.
  10. Only 12 states including Wisconsin prohibit sobriety checkpoints; the U.S. Supreme Court has found them to be constitutional. The CDC states that checkpoints reduce drunk driving deaths and fatalities by over 20 percent.
  11. Wisconsin is the only state in the country where the first drunk driving offense is not a criminal offense; it is only a civil citation.
  12. Criminalizing first offense does not mean making it a felony; it simply means making it a misdemeanor.