You may be wondering: How many deaths are related to drunk driving in the United States? This article will provide you with statistics, trends, and prevention tips. It will also provide you with some insights into the causes of this problem. Read on to learn more about how many fatalities are related to drunk driving in 2020.
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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) tracks drunk driving fatalities and crashes. In the year 2020, alcohol-impaired driving caused 30 percent of all vehicle traffic fatalities. However, the rate of fatalities decreased nationwide by more than half (51%) and fell by more than seventy percent among drivers under 21 years old.
The number of fatalities related to drunk driving continues to rise, with alcohol being one of the leading causes of these crashes. In 2018, alcohol-impaired driving was the cause of one out of every four traffic fatalities. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nearly 29,000 people were killed on the nation’s roads. The CDC reports that drunk drivers account for nearly half of those fatalities, and nearly a third of those are fatal.
Alcohol-impaired driving is responsible for more than 11,000 deaths each year and causes 310 funerals every week. In New York State, an alcohol-impaired driver kills or injures a person once every 30 minutes. This is even though only 1% of drunk drivers are arrested. The average drunk driver gets behind the wheel 80 times before they are caught. Sadly, this means that most drivers will come into contact with a drunk driver on the road at some point.
DUI-related fatalities rose in several states in the first half of 2020, including Colorado, where they doubled from the year before. The state also saw a 30% increase in reckless driving incidents and traffic accidents involving alcohol. Quarantine restrictions in Colorado reduced the number of vehicles on the road in the first four months of the year, and many police officers opted to avoid low-level traffic stops due to concerns about the Coronavirus. In some states, however, alcohol consumption rose sharply, while others reported an increase in speeding violations.
The United States will record 11,654 fatalities due to drunk driving in 2020. That’s one person every 45 minutes, and it’s an appalling statistic. Drunk driving accounts for 30 percent of all motor vehicle traffic fatalities in the country. In addition, it’s the leading cause of death for young people.
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