The Associated Press

Thu, Aug 28, 2008 (8:54 a.m.)

Drunken driving deaths fell in 32 states in 2007, but the government says the number of alcohol-related fatalities among motorcycle riders climbed in half the states last year.

Nearly 13,000 people were killed in crashes in which the driver had a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or higher, above the legal limit in the United States.

The overall number of alcohol deaths were down nearly 4 percent compared with 2006, when nearly 13,500 people died.

Transportation Secretary Mary Peters said Thursday she was disappointed that half the states had an increase in the number of drunk motorcycle riders involved in fatal crashes. More than 1,600 motorcyclists were killed in alcohol-impaired crashes.