The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration records...

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration records alcohol-related fatalities if the driver or anyone related in the accident--such as a passenger, pedestrian or bicyclist--has a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .01 or higher.

* If a pedestrian with a BAC of .01 steps in front of a sober driver and one of them is killed, that is considered an alcohol-related death.

* If a driver who has been drinking kills two sober people in another car, that’s counted as two alcohol-related deaths.

* Most states define “legally intoxicated” as .10.

* In 15 states, including California, a driver is intoxicated with a BAC of .08.

* Alcohol-related traffic fatalities declined 55% from 1982 to 1996.

* Alcohol-related traffic injuries declined 33% from 1988 to 1996.

* The top five states for alcohol-related fatalities among the general population are:

1. New Mexico (14.1 per 100,000)

2. Mississippi (12.4 per 100,000)

3. Wyoming (12 per 100,000)

4. Alabama (11.4 per 100,000)

5. Nevada (10.9 per 100,000)

* The top five states for alcohol-related deaths among those younger than 21 are:

1. Wyoming (10.2 per 100,000)

2. New Mexico (8.8 per 100,000)

3. Vermont (8.6 per 100,000)

4. Missouri (7 per 100,0000

5. South Dakota (6.7 per 100,000)

* California has a relatively low rate of death, 5 per 100,000 in the general population and 2.4 per 100,000 for those younger than 21.

* Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration