The numbers don’t lie when it comes to how many people die from drunk driving.  In fact, drunk drivers kill over 15,000 people each year in the United States.

If you consider that more than 32 million individuals drive uninsured in the United States and that 90% of motorists intend to use their phones while driving, it’s easy to see why many people would avoid driving.

In this post, we’ll take a look at some of the statistics surrounding drunk driving accidents and deaths in America!

Top Drunk Driving Statistics:

  • Every year, more than 15,000 people are killed as a result of drunk driving.

  • Every day, an average of 30 individuals die in drunk driving incidents.

  • Someone is killed in a drunk driving accident every 50 minutes.

  • The age group with the greatest proportion of drunk drivers is 21-24 years old.

  • In the U.S., 25% of traffic-related deaths are caused by driving under the influence (DUI).

  • There were 1 million DUI convictions in the United States among driving-related offenses.

  • Every two minutes, someone is hurt in a drunk driving accident.

  • Your car insurance rates may rise by 67% as a result of a DUI conviction In America.

Number Of Drunk Driving Deaths Per Year

How Many People Die From Drunk Driving Each Year?

More than 15,000 people are killed by drunk drivers in the United States each year.

How Many People Are Killed By Drunk Drivers Each Day?

Every day, on average, 30 people die in drunk driving incidents.

How Often Is Someone Killed In The US By A Drunk Driver?

Someone is killed in the United States by a drunk driver every 50 minutes.

According to the CDC, 25% of traffic-related fatalities are alcohol-related.

From 2010 to 2018, more than 6,000 fatal crashes in the United States were caused by drunk drivers, or 667 per year on average. More than 6,700 people have been killed in these holiday collisions during the same time period.=

Which States Have The Highest DUI Fatalities?

Texas has the highest number of DUI Fatalities at 1,439, followed by California (1,069), Florida (814), North Carolina (421), and Georgia (375). However, the state of California did see almost a 7% decrease in DUI fatalities from the prior year.

Which States Have The Lowest DUI Automobile Fatalities?

Vermont has the lowest number of DUI Fatalities at just 15, followed by Rhode Island (20), Delaware (28), Alaska (29), and North Dakota(29). However, the state of Rhode Island did saw almost a 42% decrease in DUI fatalities from the prior year.

DUI Automobile Fatalities By State

STATE DUI FATALATIES
Alabama 246
Alaska 29
Arizona 285
Arkansas 134
California 1069
Colorado 188
Connecticut 115
Delaware 28
Florida 814
Georgia 375
Hawaii 35
Idaho 58
Illinois 309
Indiana 227
Iowa 85
Kansas 88
Kentucky 137
Louisiana 216
Maine 42
Maryland 122
Massachusetts 120
Michigan 267
Minnesota 105
Mississippi 163
Missouri 240
Montana 79
Nebraska 66
Nevada 87
New Hampshire 48
New Jersey 125
New Mexico 108
New York 307
North Carolina 421
North Dakota 29
Ohio 294
Oklahoma 145
Oregon 153
Pennsylvania 334
Rhode Island 20
South Carolina 291
South Dakota 45
Tennessee 243
Texas 1439
Utah 61
Vermont 15
Virginia 240
Washington 166
West Virginia 57
Wisconsin 199
Wyoming 34

U.S. Drunk Driving Injury Statistics

How Often Does A Drunk Driving Crash Happen?

Every two minutes, a person is injured in a drunk driving accident.

How Many People Get Injured Per Year By Drunk Driving?

Every year, over 300,000 individuals are injured as a result of drunk driving.

Drunk Driving & DUI Arrest Statistics

How Many People Get Arrested For Driving Under The Influence?

An estimated 1 million Americans are arrested for driving while intoxicated.

How does a DUI violation affect your car insurance premiums?

A DUI conviction may result in an insurance rate increase of 67 percent on average.

Yes, alcohol-related deaths are covered by life insurance. However, if your policy has a clause excluding incidents linked to alcohol, that’s somewhat different. As a result, if you have the provision on your insurance that states deaths connected to alcohol aren’t covered (and you would know this before purchasing the coverage) and die while intoxicated for any reason, your claim will be denied under this limitation.

Number Of DUI Arrests By State

STATE DUI ARRESTS
Alabama 6,391
Alaska 3,148
Arizona 19,200
Arkansas 5,761
California 127,250
Colorado 20,353
Connecticut 7,484
Delaware 427
Florida 32,127
Georgia 23,449
Hawaii 4,288
Idaho 5,689
Illinois 2,825
Indiana 11,890
Iowa 10,082
Kansas 4,554
Kentucky 14,812
Louisiana 5,650
Maine 5,811
Maryland 18,150
Massachusetts 8,280
Michigan 26,130
Minnesota 20,186
Mississippi 5,370
Missouri 11,874
Montana 3,794
Nebraska 4,630
Nevada 10,984
New Hampshire 5,053
New Jersey 17,230
New Mexico 6,464
New York 25,094
North Carolina 27,915
North Dakota 5,136
Ohio 13,723
Oklahoma 8,660
Oregon 13,707
Pennsylvania 43,798
Rhode Island 2,423
South Carolina 15,188
South Dakota 5,891
Tennessee 19,108
Texas 69,643
Utah 7,119
Vermont 2,576
Virginia 20,885
Washington 27,632
West Virginia 3,141
Wisconsin 24,368
Wyoming 3,432

Drunk Driving Statistics By Age, Gender, & Demographics

Who Drives Drunk More Often, Men Or Women?

Males are still more likely to drink and drive, but women are swiftly closing the gap.

What Is The Average Age Of Drunk Drivers?

The average age of drunk drivers is typically 21 to 24 years old.

Concluding Thoughts

Taking Action

It’s not just the number of drunk driving deaths per year that are concerning, but also how often these accidents occur. These statistics show us that if you or someone in your family drinks and drives, there is a possibility they could be involved in an accident.

Make sure you have adequate car insurance to protect yourself from any financial loss should something happen while operating your vehicle under the influence. Along with texting and driving, driving drunk is extremely dangerous and 100% avoidable.

Hopefully these drunk driving statistics and facts will make you more mindful before getting behind the wheel of a vehicle drunk.

Sources:

The Zebra | Bankrate | Forbes | NHTSA |