Drunk Driving Statistics: The Devastating Numbers

Overview of Drunk Driving Statistics

1 in 3 of all fatal car crashes in the United States involve some form of drunk driving by one or more parties.

1 in 3 of all fatal car crashes in the United States involve some form of drunk driving by one or more parties.

Alcohol related driving costs exceed $44 billion in the United States according to the experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Drivers who were impaired in some way as a result of alcohol consumption got behind the wheel 147 million times in 2018 in the United States according to the experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

32% of all drivers involved who were involved in a fatal crash in the United States while driving at night were impaired by alcohol use in 2017.

Alcohol related car crashes were twice as likely to happen on weekends in the United States.

Fatal Alcohol related car crashes were twice as likely to happen on weekends in the United States.

American men are 4 times as likely to drive drunk as American women in 2017.

50,930 drivers were involved in fatal car crashes in 2019.

19% of all the American drivers who were involved in fatal car crashes in 2019 had a blood alcohol level above the legal level for drivers.

11% all the American drivers who were involved in fatal car crashes in 2019 had a blood alcohol level above the legal level for drivers in Utah.

34% all the American drivers who were involved in fatal car crashes in 2019 had a blood alcohol level above the legal level for drivers in Rhode Island.

6% of teens who were surveyed by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with High School Youth Risk Behavior Survey told researchers they had been driving while there were drinking within the past month.

7% of male American teens who were surveyed by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with High School Youth Risk Behavior Survey told researchers they had been driving while there were drinking within the past month.

17% of male American teens who were surveyed by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with High School Youth Risk Behavior Survey told researchers they had gotten into a car with someone who they knew was driving while under the influence of alcohol.

9% of all crashes in the United States continued to be related to alcohol use in 2020 even though there were fewer cars on the road during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

27% of drivers were involved in some form of alcohol related serious or fatal crashes happened between in the United States from March 17, 2020 to September 30th, 2020.

21% of drivers were involved in some form of alcohol related serious or fatal crashes happened between in the United States took place from Sep. 10, 2019 until March 16, 2020.

28 people in the United States die each day as a result of being involved in some form of driving while under the influence of alcohol.

28 people in the United States die each day as a result of being involved in some form of driving while under the influence of alcohol.

Drunk driving Deaths Per Year

10,511 Americans died in the United States as a result of alcohol related accidents in 2018.

30 people in the United States are going to die an in car crash as a result of being in a car with an alcohol-impaired driver every single day of the year.

290,000 Americans suffered some kind of injury as a result of being in a car with a driver who was impaired as a result of alcohol use in 2020.

10,800 Americans lost their lives as a result of being involved in a drunk driving incident in the United States in 2017.

10,497 Americans were killed in car crashes that involved a driver with a blood alcohol level above the legal limit in 2017.

1,000 American children are killed each year in the United States as a result of drunk driving.

Driving while under the influence of alcohol cost Americans a collective $132 billion total of in 2011.

10,497 residents of the United States were killed as a result of crashes that involved a drunk driver in 2016.

28% of all American traffic fatalities were as a result of a driver beeing impaired while using alcohol in 2016.

Drunk Driving Fatalities by State

State

Number of fatalities

Texas13,138
California10,327
Florida8,476
Pennsylvania4,663
North Carolina4,102
South Carolina3,870
Illinois3,866
New York3,572
Georgia3,699
Ohio3,637
Tennessee3,423
Missouri3,314
Alabama3,190
Louisiana3,046

2,608 Americans died in Alabama from drunk driving from 2009 to 2018.

215 Americans died in Alaska from drunk driving from 2009 to 2018.

2,349 Americans died in Arizona from drunk driving from 2009 to 2018.

9,288 Americans died in California from drunk driving from 2009 to 2018.

1,548 Americans died in Colorado from drunk driving from 2009 to 2018.

1,080 Americans died in Connecticut from drunk driving from 2009 to 2018.

383 Americans died in Delaware from drunk driving from 2009 to 2018.

7,573 Americans died in Florida from drunk driving from 2009 to 2018.

3,241 Americans died in Georgia from drunk driving from 2009 to 2018.

400 Americans died in Hawaii from drunk driving from 2009 to 2018.

612 Americans died in Idaho from drunk driving from 2009 to 2018.

3,148 Americans died in Illinois from drunk driving from 2009 to 2018.

2,068 Americans died in Indiana from drunk driving from 2009 to 2018.

916 Americans died in Iowa from drunk driving from 2009 to 2018.

1,046 Americans died in Kanas from drunk driving from 2009 to 2018.

1,722 Americans died in Kentucky from drunk driving from 2009 to 2018.

2,349 Americans died in Louisiana from drunk driving from 2009 to 2018.

440 Americans died in Maine from drunk driving from 2009 to 2018.

1,515 Americans died in Maryland from drunk driving from 2009 to 2018.

1,243 Americans died in Massachusetts from drunk driving from 2009 to 2018.

2,541 Americans died in Michigan from drunk driving from 2009 to 2018.

1,061 Americans died in Minnesota from drunk driving from 2009 to 2018.

1,755 Americans died in Mississippi from drunk driving from 2009 to 2018.

2,506 Americans died in Missouri from drunk driving from 2009 to 2018.

786 Americans died in Montana from drunk driving from 2009 to 2018.

616 Americans died in Nebraska from drunk driving from 2009 to 2018.

842 Americans died in Nevada from drunk driving from 2009 to 2018.

354 Americans died in New Hampshire from drunk driving from 2009 to 2018.

1,459 Americans died in ew Jersey from drunk driving from 2009 to 2018.

1,085 Americans died in New Mexico from drunk driving from 2009 to 2018.

3,233 Americans died in New York from drunk driving from 2009 to 2018.

3,848 Americans died in North Carolina from drunk driving from 2009 to 2018.

530 Americans died in North Dakota from drunk driving from 2009 to 2018.

3,190 Americans died in Ohio from drunk driving from 2009 to 2018.

1,864 Americans died in Oklahoma from drunk driving from 2009 to 2018.

1,176 Americans died in Oregon from drunk driving from 2009 to 2018.

3,697 Americans died in Pennsylvania from drunk driving from 2009 to 2018.

247 Americans died in Rhode Island from drunk driving from 2009 to 2018.

3,299 Americans died in South Carolina from drunk driving from 2009 to 2018.

423 Americans died in South Dakota from drunk driving from 2009 to 2018.

2,663 Americans died in Tennessee from drunk driving from 2009 to 2018.

13,592 Americans died in Texas from drunk driving from 2009 to 2018.

480 Americans died in Utah from drunk driving from 2009 to 2018.

186 Americans died in Vermont from drunk driving from 2009 to 2018.

2,278 Americans died in Virginia from drunk driving from 2009 to 2018.

1,602 Americans died in Washington from drunk driving from 2009 to 2018.

827 Americans died in West Virginia from drunk driving from 2009 to 2018.

1,928 Americans died in Wisconsin from drunk driving from 2009 to 2018.

421 Americans died in Wyoming from drunk driving from 2009 to 2018.

Drunk Driving Statistics by Age

Age bracket% of alcohol-impaired drivers involved in fatal crashes
16 – 2015%
21 – 2427%
25 – 3425%
35 – 4421%
45 – 5419%
55 – 6415%
65 – 7410%
75+7%

27% of all Americans between the age 21 of and 24 are likely to drink and drive.

25% of all Americans between the ag of 25 and 34 are likely to drink and drive.

16 to 24-year-olds were 42% of the drivers who were killed in a crash involving alcohol in 2017.

24% of all young American drivers who were ages 15 to 20 who died as a result of car crashes have been shown to later have had a blood alcohol concentrations of .01 or higher.

26.6% of all American women who are aged 18 to 24 have admitted they were behind the wheel while they were buzzed.

37.4% of Americans between the ages of 18 and 25 are under the impression that they were fit to drive even after they had consumed between 3 and 4 drinks in a single setting.

37.4% of Americans between the ages of 18 and 25 are under the impression that they were fit to drive even after they had consumed between 3 and 4 drinks in a single setting.

50.2% of all Americans between the ages of 18 and 24 years state they are aware that they can make use of rideshare services when they go out drinking.

Drunk Driving Statistics by Gender

American men had 4 out of every 5 DUIs citations in 2010.

American men between the ages of 21 and 34 are most likely to drink.

DUIs and Car Insurance Rates

A single DUI conviction can increase a person’s auto insurance rates by 71.0%.

The average insurance rate for a DUI conviction in the United States will go up by 67%.

A single accident causing property damage will raise your auto insurance rate by $2,132 per year.

Legal Implications Of Drunk Driving

A first-time offense for a DUI can cost the American driver more than $10,000 in fines and total legal fees.

A driver with a conviction for a DUI may be asked to install an ignition interlock device on their car at their expense.

The drive will be unable to drive the car with the ignition interlock device unless they have a blood alcohol level below BAC below .02 g/dL in most cases.

30% of all traffic fatalities involving a crash in the United States happened to drunk drivers who had blood alcohol level of 08 g/dL or higher.

The most common legal consequence of having at least one conviction for a drunk driving offense is the driver will have driver’s license suspended or revoked for at least six months.

The most common legal consequence of having at least one conviction for a drunk driving offense is the driver will have driver's license suspended or revoked for at least six months.

12.6 million have Americans admitted they were driving and driving at some point in time.

Strategies for Drunk Driving Prevention

Sobriety checkpoints have been shown to reduce the number of fatalities as well as injury accidents and the possibility of property damage accidents by 20%.

States that require the use of what is known as a ignition interlocks for people who have been convicted of a single incidence of drunk drivers have found that drunk driving will decline and lead to a drop in fatalities as a result of drunk driving.

Cost Of Drunk Driving

Costs Associated with Being Arrested for Drunk Driving 
Towing / Car Storage$100.00
Bail$250.00
DWI Fine$500.00
Attorney’s Fees$1,500.00
Court Fees$200.00
Loss of Two Days of Work$250.00
Alcohol Evaluation$90.00
Crime Victims Fund$10.00
Victim Impact Panel$20.00
Probation Fee$30.00
Drinking Driver Program$175.00
Increased Insurance Rates for 3 Years$5,000.00
Conditional License$75.00
License Reinstatement Fee$50.00
Total$8,250.00

Source

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