- One American life is lost every 20 minutes in alcohol related auto crashes.
- It is estimated that one out of every two Americans will be
involved in an alcohol related accident in his or her lifetime.
- 71 people are killed each day in alcohol related accidents.
- 500 people are killed each week in alcohol related accidents.
- Presently 25,000 people are killed each year in alcohol related accidents.
- 250,000 people have died in alcohol related accidents in the past 10 years.
- Over 50% of all fatal highway crashes involving two or more cars are alcohol related.
- Over 65% of all fatal single car crashes are alcohol related.
- In 2006, there were 13,470 fatalities in crashes involving an alcohol-impaired driver
(BAC of .08 or higher) – 32 percent of total traffic fatalities for the year.
- 16,005 people were killed in the United States in alcohol-related* motor vehicle
traffic crashes (BAC of .01 or higher).
- In 2006, 1,794 children age 14 and younger were killed in motor vehicle crashes.
Of those 1,794 fatalities, 306 (17%) occurred in alcohol-impaired driving crashes.
Children riding in vehicles with drivers who had a BAC level of .08 or higher
accounted for half (153) of these deaths.
- The 13,470 alcohol-impaired-driving fatalities in 2006 were almost the same as
compared to 13,451 alcohol-impaired-driving fatalities reported in 1996.
Ten years of progress.
- The 13,470 fatalities in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes during 2006 represent
an average of one alcohol-impaired-driving fatality every 39 minutes.
- The rate of alcohol impairment among drivers involved in fatal crashes was
four times higher at night than during the day.
- The percentage of drivers with BAC of .08 or above in fatal crashes was
highest for motorcycle operators (27 percent), followed by light trucks (24 percent),
and then passenger cars (23 percent). The percentage of drivers with BAC
levels of .08 or higher in fatal crashes was the lowest for large trucks (1%).
- In fatal crashes in 2006, the highest percentage of drivers with a
BAC level of .08 or higher was for drivers ages 21-24 (33%),
followed by ages 25-34 (29%) and
35-44 (25%).
- Drivers with a BAC level of .08 or higher involved in fatal crashes were eight times
more likely to have a prior conviction for driving while impaired (DWI) than were
drivers with no alcohol (8% and 1%, respectively).
- In 2006, more than 8,200 (55%) of the drivers involved in fatal crashes who
had been drinking had a BAC of .15 or greater.
- As in previous years, in 2006, males comprise a majority, about 81 percent,
of all drivers involved in fatal crashes with a BAC=.08+.
Click here for drunk driving statistics for 2005; 2004; 2003; 2002; 2001; 2000.
Below are some statistics on drinking and driving in the US. After reading this list, you will understand how important it is to help stem the tide of drunk driving deaths in your neighborhood.
All 50 states in the US and Puerto Rico now apply two statutory offenses to driving under the influence of alcohol. The first (and original) offense is known either as driving under the influence (DUI), driving while intoxicated/impaired (DWI), or operating [a motor vehicle] while intoxicated/impaired (OWI). This is based upon a police officer's observations (driving behavior, slurred speech, the results of a roadside sobriety test, etc.)
The second offense is called "illegal per se", which is driving with a BAC of 0.08% or higher. Since 2002 it has been illegal in all 50 states to drive with a BAC that is 0.08% or higher.
Alcohol related deaths in the US since 1982:
| Year |
Total fatalities |
Alcohol related fatalities |
Number |
Number |
Percent |
1982 |
43,945 |
26,173 |
60 |
1983 |
42,589 |
24,635 |
58 |
1984 |
44,257 |
24,762 |
56 |
1985 |
43,825 |
23,167 |
53 |
1986 |
46,087 |
25,017 |
54 |
1987 |
46,390 |
24,094 |
52 |
1988 |
47,087 |
23,833 |
51 |
1989 |
45,582 |
22,424 |
49 |
1990 |
44,599 |
22,587 |
51 |
1991 |
41,508 |
20,159 |
49 |
1992 |
39,250 |
18,290 |
47 |
1993 |
40,150 |
17,908 |
45 |
1994 |
40,716 |
17,308 |
43 |
1995 |
41,817 |
17,732 |
42 |
1996 |
42,065 |
17,749 |
42 |
1997 |
42,013 |
16,711 |
40 |
1998 |
41,501 |
16,673 |
40 |
1999 |
41,717 |
16,572 |
40 |
2000 |
41,945 |
17,380 |
41 |
2001 |
42,196 |
17,400 |
41 |
2002 |
43,005 |
17,524 |
41 |
2003 |
42,643 |
17,013 |
40 |
2004 |
42,518 |
16,919 |
39 |
2005 |
43,443 |
16,885 |
39 |
2006 |
42,532 |
15,829 |
37 |
2007 |
41,059 |
15,387 |
37 |
Drinking and driving fatalities by state in 2006
(ranked by highest number of alcohol related deaths):
State |
Total Fatalities |
Alcohol-Related Fatalities
|
Number |
Percent |
|
3,466 |
1,544 |
45% |
|
4,229 |
1,509 |
36% |
|
3,363 |
1,111 |
33% |
|
1,517 |
556 |
37% |
|
1,254 |
540 |
43% |
|
1,688 |
539 |
32% |
|
1,280 |
502 |
39% |
|
1,558 |
490 |
31% |
|
1,454 |
483 |
33% |
|
1,286 |
478 |
37% |
|
1,037 |
477 |
46% |
|
1,087 |
469 |
43% |
|
1,235 |
451 |
37% |
|
1,206 |
445 |
37% |
|
982 |
425 |
43% |
|
1,081 |
390 |
36% |
|
911 |
358 |
39% |
|
722 |
352 |
49% |
|
961 |
347 |
36% |
|
896 |
290 |
32% |
|
771 |
285 |
37% |
|
630 |
269 |
43% |
|
913 |
257 |
28% |
|
665 |
245 |
37% |
|
765 |
243 |
32% |
|
651 |
235 |
36% |
|
533 |
207 |
39% |
|
477 |
177 |
37% |
|
493 |
175 |
36% |
|
432 |
168 |
39% |
|
466 |
162 |
35% |
|
422 |
159 |
38% |
|
484 |
155 |
32% |
|
408 |
155 |
38% |
|
439 |
142 |
32% |
|
301 |
121 |
40% |
|
255 |
114 |
45% |
|
267 |
102 |
38% |
|
266 |
86 |
32% |
|
191 |
78 |
41% |
|
195 |
78 |
40% |
|
160 |
77 |
48% |
|
188 |
70 |
37% |
|
284 |
63 |
22% |
|
127 |
51 |
40% |
|
148 |
50 |
34% |
|
111 |
47 |
42% |
|
81 |
37 |
46% |
|
86 |
28 |
33% |
|
73 |
23 |
31% |
|
37 |
14 |
36% |
|
|
|
|
National |
42,532 |
15,829 |
37% |
|
507 |
176 |
35% |
*According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), "A motor vehicle crash is considered to be alcohol-related if at least one driver or non-occupant (such as a pedestrian or pedalcyclist) involved in the crash is determined to have had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .01 gram per deciliter (g/dL) or higher. Thus, any fatality that occurs in an alcohol-related crash is considered an alcohol-related fatality. The term 'alcohol-related' does not indicate that a crash or fatality was caused by the presence of alcohol."
Note the last paragraph, and in particular, the last sentence. This would seem to make the statistics above a little misleading since we tend to think that alcohol-related crashes are caused by drunk drivers. But if a sober driver kills an alcohol-impaired pedestrian, it's still considered an alcohol-related crash. Does this invalidate the drunk driving statistics below? No. The statistics reveal that most fatal alcohol-related crashes do indeed involve drunk drivers and far fewer of these fatalities involve intoxicated pedestrians or "bicyclists and other cyclists".
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