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Since less people drive at night and there are fewer crash fatalities at this time for non-alcohol-related traffic fatalities, but alcohol related fatalities are the opposite. Alcohol related fatalities increase at night and this is pronounced for both weekdays and weekends.
Alcohol-related traffic fatalities are involved in more than half of all nighttime crash fatalities, even though between 10 pm and 1 am less than 8% of drivers are legally intoxicated. On weekends, the portion of all traffic fatalities involving alcohol increases during both day and night relative to alcohol-related fatalities during the week. Alcohol-Related accidents had at least one driver or nonoccupant with a blood alcohol level of at least 0.01 gm/ 100 ml. (Constructed from data in NHTSA Report 809104: http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/CATS/listpublications.aspx?Id=C&ShowBy=DocType) ©2008 NBEP
On weekend nights alcohol related crash fatalities outnumber those that are non-alcohol-related. The relative risk is over 5 for drunk drivers being involved in a crash between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m. on weekend nights This indicates that nighttime is a much greater time of risk or alcohol-related fatalities.
Drinking drivers have 5 – 10 times the risk of being involved in fatal crashes on weekend nights between 8 pm and 5 am as do sober drivers.Drinking drivers are not necessarily legally intoxicated (blood alcohol can be below 0.08 g /100 ml) to be included in this risk. (Constructed from data in Levitt, S.D. and Porter, J. et al. J Political Economy 109: 1198-1237, 2001) ©2008 NBEP
