Drunk driving not only has drawn attention on a national level, but Iowa State law enforcement officials say it is a major problem on campus.

According to the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau, alcohol is the leading cause of traffic fatalities in the United States.

If present trends continue, 40,000 people under age 25 will die in alcohol-related crashes in the United States over the next 10 years, and more than 400 of those crashes will take place in Iowa.

“It’s a significant problem at Iowa State,” said Lt. Scott Newman of the Department of Public Safety.

In 1997, DPS made 133 Operating While Intoxicated arrests. Newman said national statistics indicate that persons arrested for OWI have driven intoxicated at least 80 times before getting caught.

Newman also said 10 percent of drivers nationwide out on Friday and Saturday nights are slightly intoxicated.

“I would imagine this statistic is slightly higher in Ames [because of the student population],” he said.

Some ISU students admit to contributing to the statistics.

Adam Eikamp, junior in fine arts, said he has driven under the influence of alcohol more than once.

“There’s never someone who says ‘I’m going to be the designated driver tonight,'” he said. “[The driver] just doesn’t drink as much.”

Eikamp said when he drives, he usually stops drinking around 1 a.m. He said by the time the bars close at 2 a.m., he does not feel intoxicated.

“I don’t really feel like I’ve ever driven home that drunk,” he said.

Brannon Kirk, junior in forestry, said he learned his lesson about driving drunk when he was involved in an accident.

“I hit another car, but nobody was injured,” he said.

Kirk said he spent the night in jail, lost his driver’s license for six months and was put on probation for a year.

He said he did not pay a fine, and that the incident will be lifted from his record as long as he stays out of trouble.

Kirk said the incident has changed his mind about getting behind the wheel of a car while intoxicated.

“It was a pretty bad mistake,” he said. “It’s not worth it, and it’s dangerous.”

For most first OWI offenses in which a driver is placed under arrest, a chemical sample is required to determine the degree of impairment.

Drivers who have a blood-alcohol content greater than the legal limit of .10 will lose their license for 180 days.

“It is a serious misdemeanor, and [the driver] faces one year in jail with a $1,000 fine,” Newman said.

He added that most people receive the minimum punishment of two days in jail and a $1,000 fine. People who attend alcohol treatment pay reduced fines of $500.

Newman said Ames Police average about 150 OWI arrests each year, while Story County arrests about 140 drivers.

In an attempt to reduce drunk driving, DPS has developed alcohol education programs to inform people about state laws and responsible drinking.

“The university has taken an aggressive stance to curb alcohol on campus,” Newman said.

DPS offers a safety escort service on campus, which is available from 5:30 p.m. until 7 a.m. CyRide also offers alternative transportation with a midnight shuttle bus on Friday and Saturday nights until 2 a.m.

Students Against Drunk Driving (SADD) is a campus organization working to prevent drinking and driving through education.

“SADD does a number of different activities,” said Dave Haden, student activities specialist and SADD adviser.

Such activities include educational programming, a December ribbon campaign, in which red and white ribbons are tied on bushes outside the Memorial Union, and teaching children about seat belt use.

“Positive peer pressure is effective in changing people’s behaviors,” Haden said.

Part of SADD’s goal is to get to students before they attend college, Haden said.

“The majority of folks actually start drinking and establish drinking patterns before they get to college,” he said. “The younger we get to them, the better.”

The Student Health Center recently distributed a survey to randomly selected classes.

Out of the 380 surveys returned, 29 percent of the males and 17 percent of the females surveyed had driven drunk in the past two weeks.

The survey also found that 12 percent of freshmen, 14 percent of sophomores, 26 percent of juniors and 33 percent of seniors surveyed have driven drunk at least once.

In addition, 12 percent of survey respondents in the residence halls and 28 percent of greek students who answered the survey admitted to driving while drunk.

The percentage of traditional off-campus and commuter students surveyed who have driven drunk was three times higher compared to students living in the residence halls.

Randy Mayer, health education coordinator for the Student Health Center, organized the survey.

He said he also looked at correlations between other effects of drinking, including binge drinking and sex, long-term relationships, marriage and debt.