<P> The NHTSA defines fatal collisions as "alcohol - related" if they believe the driver, a passenger, or non-motorist (such as a pedestrian or pedal cyclist) had a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.01% or greater . The NHTSA defines nonfatal collisions as alcohol - related if the accident report indicates evidence of alcohol present, even if no driver or occupant was tested for alcohol . The NHTSA specifically notes that alcohol - related does not necessarily mean a driver or non-occupant was tested for alcohol and that the term does not indicate a collision or fatality was caused by the presence of alcohol . If anyone involved in the accident (even a passenger) has a BAC of 0.01% of greater, then the NTHSA classifies the accident as alcohol - related . Alcohol - related injuries were estimated at 275,000 in 2003 . </P> <P> For the most part, DUI or DWI are synonymous terms that represent the criminal offense of operating (or in some jurisdictions merely being in physical control of) a motor vehicle while being under the influence of alcohol or drugs or a combination of both . The key inquiry focuses on whether the driver's faculties were impaired by the substance that was consumed . The detection and successful prosecution of drivers impaired by prescription medication or illegal drugs can therefore be difficult . Breathalyzers have been developed for the purpose of administering roadside or laboratory tests that can detect the actual level of a controlled substance in an individual's body . </P> <P> New Jersey enacted the first law that specifically criminalized driving an automobile while intoxicated, in 1906 . The New Jersey statute provided that "(n) o intoxicated person shall drive a motor vehicle ." Violation of this provision was punishable by a fine of up to $500, or a term of up to 60 days in county jail . </P> <P> Early laws, such as that enacted in New Jersey, required proof of a state of intoxication with no specific definition of what level of inebriation qualified . The first generally accepted legal BAC limit was 0.15% . New York, for example, which had enacted a prohibition on driving while intoxicated in 1910, amended this law in 1941 to provide that it would constitute prima facie evidence of intoxication when an arrested person was found to have a BAC of . 15 percent or higher, as ascertained through a test administered within two hours of arrest . </P>

When did drinking and driving become a law