Driving under the influence of alcohol is one of the most significant safety issues on U.S. roads. Every day, about 37 people die in alcohol-related crashes, and about 921 are injured. Moreover, about 3 in 10 Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash at some point in their lives.
The latest National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data show that in 2022, 13,524 people were killed in alcohol-related crashes.
Technology has made some progress in reducing such crashes – 45 years ago, almost half of the traffic deaths involved alcohol-impaired crashes. Developments, including airbags, reactive braking, and mandatory ignition interlock devices for repeat DWI offenders, have lowered the number of deaths, but DUI still accounts for 32% of all traffic fatalities.
Michael & Associates has compiled the latest statistics on drunk driving in the U.S. to explain the magnitude of the problem.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022, 13,524 people died in alcohol-impaired accidents
- 40% of those killed were passengers or people in other vehicles
- Since 1982, drunk-driving fatalities on our nation’s roadways have decreased by more than 45%
- Montana, Wyoming, and South Carolina consistently rank among the states with the highest per capita DUI fatality rates
- For every female alcohol-impaired driver, there are four male alcohol-impaired drivers
- The 25-34 age group causes the most DWI fatalities
- 60% of alcohol-impaired accidents happen in urban areas
General Statistics
- Every day, 32 people in the U.S. die in drunk-driving crashes
- Drunk driving accounts for one death every 45 minutes
- Each year, 11,000 people are killed due to alcohol-related crashes in the U.S.
- Every day, around 920 people are injured in a drunk-driving crash.
- Alcohol-impaired drivers cause 32% of motor vehicle traffic deaths in the U.S.
- In 2022, there were 13,524 alcohol-related deaths
- Alcohol-impaired fatalities fell by .7% from 2021 to 2022
READ MORE: Survey examines why people drink and drive
Drunk-Driving Fatalities
Over the past decade, the United States has seen a fluctuating number of fatalities due to alcohol impairment, which is defined as crashes involving at least one driver with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08 grams per deciliter or higher.
Below is a summary of the number of such fatalities and their percentage of total deaths:
| Year | Total fatalities | Percentage |
| 2012 | 10,336 | 31% |
| 2013 | 10,840 | 31% |
| 2014 | 9,943 | 30% |
| 2015 | 10,280 | 29% |
| 2016 | 10,967 | 29% |
| 2017 | 10,880 | 29% |
| 2018 | 10,710 | 29% |
| 2019 | 10,196 | 28% |
| 2020 | 11,727 | 30% |
| 2021 | 13,617 | 32% |
| 2022 | 13,524 | 32% |
These figures indicate a general decline in alcohol-impaired driving fatalities from 2012 through 2019, followed by a significant increase starting in 2020, which has been blamed in part on the COVID-19 pandemic.
While the total number of traffic fatalities has also fluctuated over this period, the proportion of deaths attributed to alcohol-impaired driving has remained relatively consistent.
Efforts to reduce these fatalities continue, focusing on strategies such as stricter enforcement of impaired driving laws, public awareness campaigns, and advancements in vehicle safety technologies designed to prevent impaired driving.
By State
It’s illegal to drive in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico with a BAC of .08 g/dL or higher. Still, alcohol-related fatalities have been increasing year-over-year since 2020.
However, it should be noted that over the past 40 years, DUI-related fatalities on America’s roadways have decreased by 45%.
Unfortunately, DWI accidents continue to happen all over the country. Texas and California routinely have the highest number of total deaths. However, when you examine deaths per capita, Montana, South Carolina, and North Dakota have the highest percentages.
Here is a breakdown of total highway fatalities per state, including BACs of .08 or higher and BACs of .15 or higher.
| State | Total traffic fatalities | BAC ≥ 0.08 fatalities | % BAC ≥ 0.08 | BAC ≥ 0.15 fatalities | % BAC ≥ 0.15 |
| Alabama | 988 | 281 | 28% | 198 | 20% |
| Alaska | 82 | 20 | 24% | 14 | 17% |
| Arizona | 1,302 | 450 | 35% | 298 | 23% |
| Arkansas | 643 | 153 | 24% | 107 | 17% |
| California | 4,428 | 1,479 | 33% | 954 | 22% |
| Colorado | 764 | 260 | 34% | 167 | 22% |
| Connecticut | 359 | 127 | 35% | 92 | 26% |
| Delaware | 162 | 49 | 30% | 31 | 19% |
| District of Columbia | 32 | 12 | 39% | 10 | 30% |
| Florida | 3,530 | 940 | 27% | 616 | 17% |
| Georgia | 1,797 | 507 | 28% | 350 | 19% |
| Hawaii | 116 | 37 | 31% | 23 | 20% |
| Idaho | 215 | 69 | 32% | 52 | 24% |
| Illinois | 1,268 | 471 | 37% | 327 | 26% |
| Indiana | 949 | 274 | 29% | 180 | 19% |
| Iowa | 338 | 116 | 34% | 77 | 23% |
| Kansas | 410 | 109 | 27% | 73 | 18% |
| Kentucky | 744 | 176 | 24% | 112 | 15% |
| Louisiana | 906 | 267 | 29% | 185 | 20% |
| Maine | 182 | 62 | 34% | 43 | 24% |
| Maryland | 564 | 207 | 37% | 144 | 25% |
| Mass. | 434 | 123 | 28% | 88 | 20% |
| Michigan | 1,124 | 305 | 27% | 196 | 17% |
| Minnesota | 444 | 130 | 29% | 95 | 21% |
| Mississippi | 703 | 168 | 24% | 109 | 16% |
| Missouri | 1,057 | 290 | 27% | 196 | 19% |
| Montana | 213 | 71 | 34% | 59 | 28% |
| Nebraska | 244 | 67 | 28% | 41 | 17% |
| Nevada | 416 | 140 | 34% | 97 | 23% |
| New Hampshire | 146 | 52 | 36% | 37 | 25% |
| New Jersey | 685 | 177 | 26% | 105 | 15% |
| New Mexico | 466 | 152 | 33% | 112 | 24% |
| New York | 1,175 | 371 | 32% | 251 | 21% |
| North Carolina | 1,630 | 460 | 28% | 287 | 18% |
| North Dakota | 98 | 34 | 34% | 22 | 23% |
| Ohio | 1,275 | 471 | 37% | 339 | 27% |
| Oklahoma | 710 | 186 | 26% | 125 | 18% |
| Oregon | 601 | 232 | 39% | 156 | 26% |
| Pennsylvania | 1,179 | 338 | 29% | 225 | 19% |
| Rhode Island | 52 | 22 | 43% | 17 | 33% |
| South Carolina | 1,094 | 474 | 43% | 319 | 29% |
| South Dakota | 137 | 44 | 32% | 28 | 20% |
| Tennessee | 1,314 | 364 | 28% | 226 | 17% |
| Texas | 4,408 | 1,869 | 42% | 1,255 | 28% |
| Utah | 319 | 71 | 22% | 50 | 16% |
| Vermont | 76 | 26 | 34% | 16 | 21% |
| Virginia | 1,008 | 298 | 30% | 209 | 21% |
| Washington | 733 | 256 | 35% | 159 | 22% |
| West Virginia | 264 | 60 | 23% | 43 | 16% |
| Wisconsin | 596 | 171 | 29% | 108 | 18% |
| Wyoming | 134 | 40 | 30% | 27 | 20% |
| U.S. Total | 42,514 | 13,524 | 32% | 9,047 | 21% |
| Puerto Rico | 271 | 91 | 34% | 55 | 20% |
READ MORE: States with the strictest (and least strict) DUI enforcement
By Gender
In 2020, 80% of fatal DUI accidents involved men. This means that, on average, there were four male alcohol-impaired drivers involved for every female alcohol-impaired driver.
By Age
In 2020, there were 11,654 drunk-driving fatalities in the U.S. Here is the breakdown that year by age:
| Age | Percentage |
| 1-14 | 9.6% |
| 15-20 | 6.7% |
| 21-24 | 11% |
| 25-34 | 26% |
| 35-44 | 17% |
| 45-54 | 13% |
| 55-64 | 9% |
| 65-74 | 4% |
| 75+ | 1.7% |
Moreover, out of 1,093 traffic fatalities among children, 229 (21%) happened in alcohol-impaired driving crashes.
By Vehicle Type
Motorcycles were surprisingly common in DUI accidents – 27% of alcohol-impaired drivers were on one. Here is the breakdown by vehicle:
| Vehicle type | Percentage |
| Motorcycle | 27% |
| Passenger cars | 23% |
| Light trucks | 19% |
| Large trucks | 3% |
Moreover, four out of ten people killed were not the intoxicated driver but their passengers or people in other vehicles.
By Month
June, July, and August have the highest number of alcohol-related fatalities, accounting for a total of 30.05%. April, on the other hand, is the month with the least alcohol-impaired fatalities.
| Month | Percentage |
| January | 6.3% |
| February | 6.6% |
| March | 6.6% |
| April | 5.7% |
| May | 8.1% |
| June | 10% |
| July | 10% |
| August | 10.5% |
| September | 9.6% |
| October | 9.6% |
| November | 8.8% |
| December | 8.1% |
By Location
Alcohol-impaired accidents are more likely to happen in urban than in rural areas, with the first making up 60% of all drunk-driving fatalities in 2022. This is likely due to the higher number of vehicles in those settings.
| Location | Number | Percentage |
| Urban areas | 8,110 | 60% |
| Rural areas | 5,355 | 40% |
| Location not reported | 59 | < 0.5% |
By Time and Day
Determining when drunk-driving fatalities happen is essential in finding out the overall risk and taking measures to make the roads safer. According to the NHTSA, the majority of deaths occurred in the dark (68%). Inclement weather doesn’t really play a role — 91% of DUI fatalities occurred during clear weather.
Moreover, alcohol-impaired drivers are involved in fatal crashes during the weekend almost twice as much as during weekdays.
Another fact that’s worth noting is that 41% of fatal accidents over holidays include alcohol-impaired driving.
DUI/DWI’s Economic Costs
NHTSA estimates that accidents involving alcohol cost Americans nearly $44 billion in damages each year. Included in the economic costs are:
- Legal and court expenses
- Medical Costs
- Emergency medical services
- Insurance administration
- Workplace losses
- Property damage
What Can We Do to Help?
Alcohol-related deaths on U.S. roads have decreased due to multiple measures such as minimum drinking age laws and high-visibility enforcement. According to NHTSA, for over 40 years, minimum drinking age laws have saved more than 31,000 lives.
However, there’s still more to be done to increase U.S. road safety, considering that alcohol-impaired drivers involved in fatal crashes were 4 times more likely to have prior DWI convictions than drivers with no alcohol (8% and 2%, respectively). Each day, about 300,000 people drive drunk, but only 3,200 get arrested.
You can also contribute to saving lives. Here is what you can do:
- Don’t drink and drive. Instead, call a taxi or a sober friend
- If you plan to drink, choose a non-drinking friend as your driver
- If someone you know has been drinking, keep them away from driving
- If you see an alcohol-impaired driver, call your local police
- Wear a seatbelt to protect yourself from alcohol-impaired drivers
Sources
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- New York State Police
- Responsibility.org
- Mothers Against Drunk Driving
If you’re facing DWI charges in any of the following cities, contact us for a free consultation:
- Austin
- Dallas
- Fort Worth
- Houston
- San Antonio
- Below is the comprehensive list of counties we are currently taking cases in.
- Atascosa
- Bandera
- Bastrop
- Bell
- Blanco
- Brazoria
- Caldwell
- Collin
- Comal
- Coryell
- Ellis
- Denton
- Fort Bend
- Galveston
- Gillespie
- Guadalupe
- Hays
- Kendall
- Lampasas
- Llano
- Medina
- Milam
- Rockwall
- Williamson
- Wilson
