Far be it for me to defend anything about Massachusetts in this environment, but is that really any different ANYWHERE else? We are only a little higher than Virgina in these 2006 statistics...
Drinking and driving fatalities by state in 2006 (ranked by highest number of alcohol related deaths):
|
State
|
Total Fatalities
|
Alcohol-Related Fatalities |
|
|
Number
|
Percent
|
||
|
3,466
|
1,544
|
45%
|
|
|
4,229
|
1,509
|
36%
|
|
|
3,363
|
1,111
|
33%
|
|
|
1,517
|
556
|
37%
|
|
|
1,254
|
540
|
43%
|
|
|
1,688
|
539
|
32%
|
|
|
1,280
|
502
|
39%
|
|
|
1,558
|
490
|
31%
|
|
|
1,454
|
483
|
33%
|
|
|
1,286
|
478
|
37%
|
|
|
1,037
|
477
|
46%
|
|
|
1,087
|
469
|
43%
|
|
|
1,235
|
451
|
37%
|
|
|
1,206
|
445
|
37%
|
|
|
982
|
425
|
43%
|
|
|
1,081
|
390
|
36%
|
|
|
911
|
358
|
39%
|
|
|
722
|
352
|
49%
|
|
|
961
|
347
|
36%
|
|
|
896
|
290
|
32%
|
|
|
771
|
285
|
37%
|
|
|
630
|
269
|
43%
|
|
|
913
|
257
|
28%
|
|
|
665
|
245
|
37%
|
|
|
765
|
243
|
32%
|
|
|
651
|
235
|
36%
|
|
|
533
|
207
|
39%
|
|
|
477
|
177
|
37%
|
|
|
493
|
175
|
36%
|
|
|
432
|
168
|
39%
|
|
|
466
|
162
|
35%
|
|
|
422
|
159
|
38%
|
|
|
484
|
155
|
32%
|
|
|
408
|
155
|
38%
|
|
|
439
|
142
|
32%
|
|
|
301
|
121
|
40%
|
|
|
255
|
114
|
45%
|
|
|
267
|
102
|
38%
|
|
|
266
|
86
|
32%
|
|
|
191
|
78
|
41%
|
|
|
195
|
78
|
40%
|
|
|
160
|
77
|
48%
|
|
|
188
|
70
|
37%
|
|
|
284
|
63
|
22%
|
|
|
127
|
51
|
40%
|
|
|
148
|
50
|
34%
|
|
|
111
|
47
|
42%
|
|
|
81
|
37
|
46%
|
|
|
86
|
28
|
33%
|
|
|
73
|
23
|
31%
|
|
|
37
|
14
|
36%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
National
|
42,532
|
15,829
|
37%
|
|
507
|
176
|
35%
|
|
Keep in mind that to keep the justification level up for the MADD types, alcohol is equally blamed whether it was an at-fault driver or a passenger or even a pedestrian who was soused.