Drunken-Driving Among Hispanics Focus of WRAL Documentary

Posted: Dec. 5 11:52 a.m.
Updated: Dec. 5 12:00 p.m.

Raleigh — The high rate of drunken driving accidents involving legal and illegal Hispanic immigrants is the focus of a WRAL News documentary airing Wednesday at 7 p.m.

Focal Point: "Crossing the Line" also looks at the challenges law enforcement agencies and the court system face in trying to punish undocumented immigrants for driving drunk. It also looks at how Latino advocacy groups are working to reach out to Hispanic immigrants and educate them about the dangers of driving drunk.

According to a recent study from the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center, Hispanics involved in car crashes are two-and-a-half times more likely to be drunk than white drivers and three times more likely to be drunk than black drivers.

Hispanics also account for 18 percent of drunken-driving arrests, while making up less than 7 percent of the state’s population. Drunken driving is also the number one killer of young Hispanic men in North Carolina.