Click here for drunk driving statistics for 2006; 2005; 2004; 2003; 2002; 2001; 2000.

Below are some statistics on drinking and driving in the US.

All 50 states in the US and Puerto Rico now apply two statutory offenses to driving under the influence of alcohol. The first (and original) offense is known either as driving under the influence (DUI), driving while intoxicated/impaired (DWI), or operating [a motor vehicle] while intoxicated/impaired (OWI). This is based upon a police officer's observations (driving behavior, slurred speech, the results of a roadside sobriety test, etc.)

The second offense is called "illegal per se", which is driving with a BAC of 0.08% or higher. Since 2002 it has been illegal in all 50 states to drive with a BAC that is 0.08% or higher.

Alcohol related deaths in the US since 1982:

	Total fatalities	Alcohol related fatalities
Year	Number	Number	Percent
1982	43,945	26,173	60
1983	42,589	24,635	58
1984	44,257	24,762	56
1985	43,825	23,167	53
1986	46,087	25,017	54
1987	46,390	24,094	52
1988	47,087	23,833	51
1989	45,582	22,424	49
1990	44,599	22,587	51
1991	41,508	20,159	49
1992	39,250	18,290	47
1993	40,150	17,908	45
1994	40,716	17,308	43
1995	41,817	17,732	42
1996	42,065	17,749	42
1997	42,013	16,711	40
1998	41,501	16,673	40
1999	41,717	16,572	40
2000	41,945	17,380	41
2001	42,196	17,400	41
2002	43,005	17,524	41
2003	42,643	17,013	40
2004	42,518	16,919	39
2005	43,443	16,885	39
2006	42,532	15,829	37
2007	41,059	15,387	37

 

Drinking and driving fatalities by state in 2006 (ranked by highest number of alcohol related deaths):

State	Total Fatalities	Alcohol-Related Fatalities
		Number	Percent
Texas	3,466	1,544	45%
California	4,229	1,509	36%
Florida	3,363	1,111	33%
Pennsylvania	1,517	556	37%
Illinois	1,254	540	43%
Georgia	1,688	539	32%
Arizona	1,280	502	39%
North Carolina	1,558	490	31%
New York	1,454	483	33%
Tennessee	1,286	478	37%
South Carolina	1,037	477	46%
Missouri	1,087	469	43%
Ohio	1,235	451	37%
Alabama	1,206	445	37%
Louisiana	982	425	43%
Michigan	1,081	390	36%
Mississippi	911	358	39%
Wisconsin	722	352	49%
Virginia	961	347	36%
Indiana	896	290	32%
New Jersey	771	285	37%
Washington	630	269	43%
Kentucky	913	257	28%
Arkansas	665	245	37%
Oklahoma	765	243	32%
Maryland	651	235	36%
Colorado	533	207	39%
Oregon	477	177	37%
Minnesota	493	175	36%
Nevada	432	168	39%
Kansas	466	162	35%
Massachusetts	422	159	38%
New Mexico	484	155	32%
West Virginia	408	155	38%
Iowa	439	142	32%
Connecticut	301	121	40%
Montana	255	114	45%
Idaho	267	102	38%
Nebraska	266	86	32%
South Dakota	191	78	41%
Wyoming	195	78	40%
Hawaii	160	77	48%
Maine	188	70	37%
Utah	284	63	22%
New Hampshire	127	51	40%
Delaware	148	50	34%
North Dakota	111	47	42%
Rhode Island	81	37	46%
Vermont	86	28	33%
Alaska	73	23	31%
Dist of Columbia	37	14	36%
National	42,532	15,829	37%
Puerto Rico	507	176	35%

 

*According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), "A motor vehicle crash is considered to be alcohol-related if at least one driver or non-occupant (such as a pedestrian or pedalcyclist) involved in the crash is determined to have had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .01 gram per deciliter (g/dL) or higher. Thus, any fatality that occurs in an alcohol-related crash is considered an alcohol-related fatality. The term 'alcohol-related' does not indicate that a crash or fatality was caused by the presence of alcohol."

Note the last paragraph, and in particular, the last sentence. This would seem to make the statistics above a little misleading since we tend to think that alcohol-related crashes are caused by drunk drivers. But if a sober driver kills an alcohol-impaired pedestrian, it's still considered an alcohol-related crash.  Does this invalidate the drunk driving statistics below? No. The statistics reveal that most fatal alcohol-related crashes do indeed involve drunk drivers and far fewer of these fatalities involve intoxicated pedestrians or "bicyclists and other cyclists".