How Many Accidents Are Caused By Drunk Driving?
How Many Accidents Are Caused by Drunk Driving?
While the percentage of alcohol-impaired crashes can seem impressive, the % of fatal crashes can be misleading, especially for smaller urban areas. For example, Hassell, North Carolina, reported one crash with 100% alcohol-related crashes in 2020 but only one injury, according to the statistics. However, the rate of alcohol-related crashes among teens increased in 2020 from 975 in 2015 to 1,014 in 2020, despite a reduction in the number of fatalities. The number of injuries in alcohol-related crashes increased, too, breaking five years of decline.
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Number of alcohol-impaired-driving fatalities
The number of alcohol-impaired driving fatalities has dropped significantly in the United States in recent years. In 2013, there were 573 alcohol-impaired driving deaths per 1,000 people in the United States. From 2000 to 2013, alcohol-impaired driving was the leading cause of fatal crashes in the Midwest, South, and West.
In 2016, the number of alcohol-impaired driving fatalities in the United States amounted to 10,142, which was one alcohol-impaired driving death every 52 minutes. This is a significant percentage, accounting for 28 percent of all motor vehicle traffic fatalities. In addition to causing fatal crashes, alcohol-impaired driving can cause fatalities for non-motor vehicle occupants as well. Children are especially at risk of dying in crashes caused by drunk drivers.
The number of alcohol-impaired driving fatalities has decreased in the last year. The rate of alcohol-impaired deaths has remained roughly constant in recent years, but the number of fatal crashes involving alcohol-impaired drivers decreased by 5.3 percent in 2019.
Number of alcohol-impaired-driving crashes
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, alcohol-impaired crashes account for more than a quarter of all fatal crashes. According to the agency’s annual Alcohol-Impaired Driving Safety Fact Sheet, the number of alcohol-impaired crashes increased by 14 percent in the past year. Furthermore, crashes involving a driver with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08% or more are five times more likely to result in a crash than crashes involving drivers who had no alcohol in their system.
Alcohol-impaired driving crashes have a high fatality rate among pedestrians. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that approximately 15 percent of pedestrian traffic fatalities involve drivers who were impaired by alcohol. However, the statistics are not limited to pedestrians; alcohol-impaired driving is a major cause of fatalities among children and non-occupants of other vehicles.
Number of repeat offenders involved in fatal crashes
Although the percentage of repeat offenders involved in fatal crashes due to drunk driving varies across states, the statistics suggest that they are far more likely to be older, male, and drive older vehicles. Additionally, they are less likely to be wearing seat belts, and many of them live in rural areas. Furthermore, the percentage of repeat offenders involved in fatal drunk driving crashes is higher than you might expect.
Several legislative agencies have been focusing on the issue of repeat offenders involved in fatal drunk driving accidents. For instance, the Highway Safety Bureau was established by the federal government in 1967 and became the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in 2002. These agencies tracked the fatal crashes caused by problem drinkers, and they made recommendations for how to combat the problem. In addition, courts began to use fines and license suspensions as sanctions for drunk driving.
The number of repeat offenders involved in drunk driving crashes is far greater in states that keep driving records for longer. In addition, many repeat offenders do not have previous DWI offenses in their driving records.
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