Click here for the most recent drunk driving statistics.

Traffic fatalities in alcohol-related crashes in the United States rose by 4% from 1999 to 2000. The 16,653 alcohol-related fatalities in 2000 (40% of total traffic deaths for the year) represent a 25% reduction from 22,084 alcohol-related deaths reported in 1990 (50% of the total).⁽¹⁾

NHTSA estimates that alcohol was involved in 40% of fatal crashes and in 8% of all crashes in 2000.⁽¹⁾

16,653 fatalities in alcohol-related crashes during 2000 represent an average of one alcohol-related fatality every 32 minutes.⁽¹⁾

An estimated 310,000 persons were injured in crashes where police reported that alcohol was present — an average of one person injured approximately every 2 minutes.

Drunk driving statistics show that about 3 in every 10 Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash at some time in their lives.⁽¹⁾

Approximately 43 of our fellow citizens are lost each day, 305 each week, and 1309 each month because of alcohol-related accidents. That's one life lost every 33 minutes.⁽¹⁾

Only 7% of all crashes involve alcohol use, but nearly 39% of fatal crashes do.⁽¹⁾

Traffic crashes are this country's greatest single cause of death for every age from 6 through 33. Almost half of these fatalities are related to drunk driving.⁽¹⁾

Male drivers, drivers in the 21-34 age group, and drivers who are of the "white" race constitute the largest percentage of drunk (or impaired) drivers in fatal crashes.⁽¹⁾

In 2000, 31% of all traffic fatalities occurred in crashes in which at least one driver or nonoccupant had a BAC of 0.10 g/dl or greater (legally drunk). 69% of the 12,892 people killed in such crashes were themselves drunk. The remaining 31% were passengers, nonintoxicated drivers, or nonintoxicated nonoccupants.⁽¹⁾

In 2000, 30% of all fatal crashes during the week were alcohol related, compared to 53 percent on weekends. For all crashes, the alcohol involvement rate was 6% during the week and 14% on weekends.⁽¹⁾

Drunk driving rates for fatal crashes in 2000 were highest for motorcycle operators (27%) and lowest for drivers of large trucks (1%). The intoxication rate for drivers of light trucks was higher than that for passenger car drivers (20% and 19%, respectively).⁽¹⁾

Alcohol involvement in fatal crashes is more than 3 times as high at night as during the day (61% vs. 18%). For all crashes, the alcohol involvement rate is more than 4 times as high at night (17% vs. 4%).⁽¹⁾

Statistics show the highest rates of drunk driving in fatal crashes in 2000 were recorded for drivers 21-24 years old (27%), followed by ages 25-34 (24%) and 35-44 (22%).⁽¹⁾

Fatally injured drunk drivers (BAC levels of 0.10 g/dl or greater) were 6 times as likely to have a prior conviction for driving while intoxicated compared to fatally injured sober drivers (12% and 2%, respectively).⁽¹⁾

Almost one-third (33%) of all pedestrians 16 years of age or older killed in traffic crashes in 2000 were intoxicated. By age group, statistics show a range of 9% for pedestrians 65 and over to a high of 49% for those 25 to 34 years old.⁽¹⁾

All states and the District of Columbia now have 21-year-old minimum drinking age laws. NHTSA estimates that these drunk driving laws have reduced traffic fatalities involving drivers 18 to 20 years old by 13% and have saved an estimated 20,043 lives since 1975. In 2000, an estimated 922 lives were saved by minimum drinking age laws.⁽¹⁾

More than 2,300 anti-drunk driving laws have been passed since 1980.⁽¹⁾

More drunk driving statistics: Alcohol-related traffic fatalities by state in 2000:

Alabama	399	Montana	110
Alaska	53	Nebraska	103
Arizona	456	Nevada	145
Arkansas	200	New Hampshire	49
California	1401	New Jersey	319
Colorado	256	New Mexico	205
Connecticut	158	New York	419
Delaware	60	North Carolina	523
District of Columbia	19	North Dakota	41
Florida	1191	Ohio	516
Georgia	570	Oklahoma	221
Hawaii	54	Oregon	188
Idaho	114	Pennsylvania	618
Illinois	614	Rhode Island	41
Indiana	270	South Carolina	422
Iowa	124	South Dakota	81
Kansas	154	Tennessee	511
Kentucky	256	Texas	1898
Louisiana	447	Utah	89
Maine	51	Vermont	31
Maryland	225	Virginia	341
Massachusetts	218	Washington	275
Michigan	506	West Virginia	175
Minnesota	255	Wisconsin	345
Mississippi	379	Wyoming	45
Missouri	511
U.S. Total: 16,653
1NHTSA