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 blog post, we'll take a look at some of the statistics surrounding drunk driving accidents and deaths in the United States. Keep reading to learn more!
Top Drunk Driving Statistics:
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.
What Percentage Of Highway Deaths Are Alcohol Related?
According to the CDC, 25% of traffic-related fatalities are alcohol-related.
How Many Alcohol Related Driving Fatalities Occur During Holidays?
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.
Does Life Insurance Cover Alcohol Related Deaths?
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.