M40 Fatal Accident

Alcohol and high speed were factors in this 2011 fatal crash in Allegan County, authorities said.

(MLive file photo)

Men were three times more likely than women to be arrested in Michigan for charges related to driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, according to 2014 statistics collected by the Michigan State Police.

In total, slightly more than 35,000 were convicted on such charges in 2014, said the state's 2014 Drunk Driving Audit.

Below are some of the other highlights of that report. (Note: The state uses the term "impaired" in the report to refer to a driver under the influence of alcohol or drugs, regardless of the amount of impairment).

1. About 0.5 percent of Michigan's licensed drivers were convicted in impaired driving cases in 2014.

Michigan had 35,060 arrests and 35,368 convictions on charges related to driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. The latter number includes some arrests that occurred in 2013 but were adjudicated in 2014.

The state had slightly more than 7.1 million licensed drivers in 2014.

For county-level data, the state calculates arrests and convictions in very different ways. Arrest numbers reflect those arrested in that county, regardless of where the driver lives. The convictions reflects the number of county residents convicted of charges, regardless of where the arrest occurred.

Database: DUI arrests, convictions by county

On conviction rates calculated per 1,000 licensed drivers living in the county, Iosco County (which includes Tawas City along Lake Huron) had the highest rate and neighboring Alcona County had the lowest.

In regard to arrest rates, Isabella County (which includes Mount Pleasant) was highest in the state and Schoolcraft County in the Upper Peninsula was the lowest.

2. Arrests and convictions related to impaired driving have dropped by a third over the past decade.

Statewide, arrests and convictions are down 35 percent since 2005 and 16 percent since 2010, according to data from the annual reports.

One factor: People are driving less. When arrest rates are calculated based on vehicle miles driven, the decline over the past decade shrinks to 30 percent since 2005 and 13.5 percent since 2010.

Another possible factor: There are 13 percent fewer police officers in Michigan today compared to 2005, according to state numbers. That means fewer road patrols and traffic stops.

However, there is also evidence fewer people are driving while impaired. Fatal crashes caused by impaired drivers have dropped 19 percent since 2005 and injury crashes have dropped 30 percent.

3. Arrests of male drivers are dropping much faster than that of females.

Arrests related to driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs dropped 39 percent among men between 2005 and 2014, compared to a 22-percent decline among women.

Still, men comprised 25,836 -- or 73 percent -- of impaired-driving arrests in 2014 compared to 9,224 arrests of women.

The state report did not provide a gender breakdown for convictions.

4. The overwhelming number of arrests involve alcohol versus drugs.

Of the 35,060 arrests in 2014, 96 percent involved an initial charge of driving under the influence of liquor, which means either having a blood-alcohol count of 0.08 percent and/or evidence a driver was impaired even with a BAC below 0.08 percent.

Of those 35,060 drivers, 63 percent submitted to a breathalyzer test; 25 percent had a blood test, and 12 percent refused to be tested. (Refusing to be tested typically results in having a drivers' license automatically suspended for at least a year.)

Among everybody tested with either a breathalyzer or a blood test, 21 percent had a 0.0 percent BAC, although the report does not indicate how many tested positive for drugs.

The BAC for the remainder: 3 percent tested between 0.01 and 0.07; 6 percent, 0.08 to 0.09; 38 percent, 0.10 to 0.16; and 31 percent, 0.17 or higher. The latter group faces additional penalties under Michigan's "super drunk" law.

5. Crashes involving impaired drivers are much more likely to cause an injury or fatality.

In 2014, only 3.5 percent of all traffic accidents involved an impaired driver, according to state data.

But the percentage was twice as high -- 7 percent -- for crashes that caused an injury. And 36 percent of the 806 fatal crashes in 2014 involved an impaired driver, the state report shows.

Julie Mack is a reporter for MLive.com. Email her at jmack1@mlive.com, call her at 269-350-0277 or follow her on Twitter @kzjuliemack.

Data Mine is a regular feature by MLive that examines data relevant to Michigan.

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