Survey Reveals 17 Million Americans Drive Drunk

Twenty percent of American drivers have gotten behind the wheel within two hours of drinking, and 8 percent have driven when they considered themselves drunk, the Associated Press reported Aug. 25.

The findings are the result of a 2008 survey conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

The survey also found that 8 percent of adults overall, and nearly one-quarter of men aged 21 to 24, accepted rides from someone they thought was drunk. This is in contrast to additional survey data indicating that four out of five Americans see drunk driving as a “major threat” to their own and their family's safety.

“We have got to do more, as a country, to close the gap between believing that drunk driving is a threat and actively doing something about it,” said NHTSA Administrator David L. Strickland.

The full survey results are available on the NHTSA website.