Since 1973, the Traffic Injury Research Foundation of Canada has collected and maintained a database that contains the results of tests for the presence and amount of alcohol performed on fatally injured drivers in seven Provinces. On average, over 85 percent of drivers of highway vehicles who died within 6 hours of crash involvement are tested for the presence of alcohol each year. This study examined trends in the traffic deaths of drinking drivers through the use of a number of indicators derived from the Fatality Database, such as the number and percentage of drivers who were drinking at the time of their deaths and the number and percentage of drivers who were legally impaired (BAC over 80 mg/dl). The findings show that after many years of little or no change in the magnitude of the drinking- driving problem, in the early 1980's, both the number and percentage of drinking-driver fatalities began to decline. This trend continued over the entire decade. Despite these gains, however, a significant problem remains; there are apparently "hard core" heavy drinkers who do not change their drinking- driving behaviors through traditional measures of deterrence and persuasion. New, innovative programs will be necessary to change the behaviors of this group. 1 table, 3 figures, and 7 references