Drunk Driving Statistics in United States

Beginning in 2002, driving under the influence of alcohol has been defined the same way in all 50 states. Any driver with a blood alcohol concentration of 8/10 of one percent or higher is considered to be "intoxicated."

According to MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving), more than 10,000 people will die this year as a result of alcohol-related crashes. That works out to approximately one fatality every hour. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration estimates that over the course of their lifetimes, one in three Americans will be in some way involved in an alcohol-related traffic accident.

State by State Statistics

Texas leads the nation in both the number of alcohol-related fatalities and the percentage of traffic accidents that somehow involve intoxication. With 43% of all traffic accidents being classed as related to drunk driving, nearly one accident in two in Texas involves alcohol use. California and Florida are the next closest to this level, with both states reporting that 35% of all traffic accidents are related to drunk driving.

The picture is almost as bleak when the accidents under consideration are restricted to those that involve intoxication in excess of the legal limit. The top three states in this category are again, Texas, California, and Florida, in that order. 38% of accidents in Texas involve a blood alcohol concentration of .08% or greater. In California and Florida the figures are 30% and 29%, respectively.

Statistics about Prevention

The number of accidents involving alcohol is large enough that during the past 20 years, states have created tougher sentencing and enforcement laws. The efficacy of these measures can be demonstrated by the steep decline in alcohol-related accidents: in 1982, a staggering 60% of all traffic fatalities in the United States were related to alcohol use, but by 2008 that figure had dropped to 37% nationwide.

Still, the more than 13,000 alcohol-related fatalities in 2008 demonstrate that drunk driving remains a problem in the United States. One attempt at prevention has traditionally been to restrict or remove the driving privileges of offenders. This has been less than successful; more than half of all people whose licenses have been suspended continue to drive during the period of suspension.

Hardcore Drunk Drivers

Some offenders continue to drive while intoxicated even after several arrests. This trend has not changed for over ten years. Hardcore drunk drivers also show a strong tendency to drive even when they are far in excess of the legal limit; in more than half of all cases, the blood alcohol concentration of multiple-repeat offenders was almost twice the legal limit of .08%.

Disclaimer: This article is presented as a summary of information from Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the Alcohol Alert Foundation, and the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. Nothing in this article should be construed as offering legal advice.

DUI is a serious offense under state and federal law. If you’re a victim, JodatLawGroup.com’s DUI attorneys in Bradenton may be able to help.

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