Drunk Driving Statistics

It is estimated that 2.6 million drunk driving crashes each year victimize 4 million innocent people who are injured or have their vehicles damaged. (Miller et al, 1996b)

Drunk driving is the nation's most frequently committed violent crime. [MADD)

About two in every five Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash at some time in their lives. (NHTSA, 1996)

In 1990, more than half of the fatal car accidents in this country were related to alcohol, killing 22,083 people. This is the equivalent of a fully loaded 747 crashing. Three times a week. Every week.

In the past decade, four times as many Americans died in drunk driving crashes as were killed in the Vietnam War. (NHTSA, 1995)

In 1995, an estimated 17,274 persons died in alcohol-related traffic crashes--an average of one every 32 minutes. (NHTSA, 1996)

In 1998, preliminary estimates indicate that there were 15,936 people killed in alcohol-related crashes. That's down from 16,189 in 1997.

Eight young people a day die in alcohol-related crashes. (CSAP, 1996)

Half of all teenage fatalities are alcohol-related.

About a third of all drivers arrested for DWI are repeat offenders according to data gathered from 12 states. (NHTSA, 1995)

In 1995, in Montana, 42.3% of the traffic fatalities were alcohol related.

STATISTICS - THE CHRONIC DRUNK DRIVER


21-34 Year old drinking drivers comprise approximately half of all the drunk drivers involved in alcohol-related fatal crashes, and have the highest blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) in fatal crashes. (NCADD)

Approximately 79 percent of legally drunk drivers have BACs greater than .15 and 52 percent exceed .20. (NCDD, Dec. 1996)

Drivers with BACs over .15 are more than 200 times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash than non-drinking drivers, and those with BACs over .20 are 460 times more likely. (NCDD, 1996)

These hard core drunk drivers account for only one percent of all drivers on the road at night and on weekends, while representing nearly half of all fatal crashes at that time. (NCDD, Dec. 1996)

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