

2011 Drunk Driving Statistics









Click here for drunk driving statistics for 2010; 2009; 2008; 2007; 2006; 2005; 2004; 2003; 2002; 2001; 2000.

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 Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of 0.08 g/dL or higher. Since 2002 it has been illegal in all 50 states to drive with a BAC that is 0.08 or higher. Drivers are considered to be alcohol-impaired when their BAC is .08 or higher.

An average of one alcohol-impaired-driving fatality occurred every 53 minutes in 2011.

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In 2011, 9,878 people were killed in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes. These alcohol-impaired driving fatalities accounted for 31 percent of the total motor vehicle traffic fatalities in the United States.

Traffic fatalities in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes decreased by 2.5 percent from 2010.

In 2011, a total of 1,140 children age 14 and younger were killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes. Of those 1,140 fatalities, 181 occurred in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes.

The rate of alcohol impairment among drivers involved in fatal crashes in 2011 was 4.5



times higher at night than during the day.

In 2011, 15 percent of all drivers involved in fatal crashes during the week were alcohol-impaired, compared to 31 percent on weekends.

In fatal crashes in 2011 the highest percentage of drivers with a BAC level of .08 or higher was for drivers ages 21 to 24.

The proportion of drivers involved in fatal crashes with BAC levels of .08 or higher was 24 percent among males and 14 percent among females.

The percentages of drivers involved in fatal crashes with a BAC level of .08 or higher in 2011 were 29 percent for motorcycles, 24 percent for passenger cars, and 21 percent for light trucks.





Alcohol-related deaths in the US since 1982 (these numbers will adjust on occasion as new data arrives):

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

2008 37,261 13,846 37

2009 33,808 12,744 38

2010 32,885 10,228 31

2011 32,367 9,878 38

2012 xxx xxx xxx

2013 xxx xxx xxx



Drinking and driving fatalities by state in 2011 (ranked by highest number of alcohol-related* deaths):

State Total Fatalities Alcohol-Related

Fatalities

Number Percent

Texas 2,998 1,450 48%

California 2,715 924 34%

Florida 2,445 751 31%

Pennsylvania 1,324 502 38%

North Carolina 1,319 453 34%

Georgia 1,244 346 28%

New York 1,200 428 36%

Ohio 1,080 413 38%

Tennessee 1,031 340 33%

Michigan 942 285 30%

Illinois 927 366 40%

Alabama 862 314 36%

Missouri 819 313 38%

South Carolina 810 410 51%

Arizona 762 231 30%

Kentucky 760 210 28%

Indiana 754 220 29%

Virginia 740 253 34%

Louisiana 710 280 39%

Oklahoma 668 248 37%

Mississippi 641 259 40%

Wisconsin 572 240 42%

Arkansas 563 196 35%

New Jersey 556 187 34%

Maryland 493 188 38%

Washington 458 194 42%

Colorado 448 142 32%

Kansas 431 192 45%

Minnesota 411 135 33%

Iowa 390 103 26%

New Mexico 346 121 35%

Connecticut 319 138 43%

Oregon 317 91 29%

West Virginia 315 101 32%

Massachusetts 314 141 45%

Nevada 257 85 33%

Utah 236 49 21%

Idaho 209 82 39%

Nebraska 190 59 31%

Montana 189 84 44%

Maine 161 48 30%

Wyoming 155 59 38%

South Dakota 140 46 33%

New Hampshire 128 53 42%

Hawaii 113 48 42%

North Dakota 105 51 48%

Delaware 101 43 42%

Vermont 71 25 35%

Rhode Island 66 30 45%

Alaska 56 17 31%

Dist of Columbia 24 9 35%

National 32,885 11,948 36%

Puerto Rico 340 120 35%



The table below shows alcohol-impaired** motor vehicle fatalities in the US for 2008.

State Total Fatalities* BAC=.08+

Number Number Percent

Texas 3,071 1,235 40%

California 3,081 950 31%

Florida 2,558 770 30%

Pennsylvania 1,256 406 32%

South Carolina 894 377 42%

North Carolina 1,314 363 28%

Georgia 1,284 331 26%

Ohio 1,021 324 32%

New York 1,156 321 28%

Illinois 911 319 35%

Tennessee 989 303 31%

Missouri 878 300 34%

Louisiana 821 295 36%

Alabama 848 280 33%

Michigan 871 246 28%

Virginia 757 243 32%

Oklahoma 738 235 32%

Mississippi 700 234 33%

Arizona 807 219 27%

Wisconsin 561 213 38%

Indiana 693 210 30%

Washington 492 206 42%

Kentucky 791 194 25%

Arkansas 585 168 29%

Maryland 547 162 30%

Colorado 465 158 34%

Kansas 386 154 40%

New Jersey 583 149 25%

Oregon 377 115 30%

West Virginia 356 115 32%

New Mexico 361 114 32%

Minnesota 421 108 26%

Massachusetts 334 108 32%

Connecticut 223 99 44%

Iowa 372 96 26%

Montana 221 81 36%

Nevada 243 68 28%

Nebraska 223 66 30%

Idaho 226 58 26%

North Dakota 140 54 38%

South Dakota 131 53 40%

Hawaii 109 52 48%

Maine 159 47 29%

Wyoming 134 47 35%

Delaware 116 45 38%

Utah 244 40 16%

Rhode Island 83 34 40%

New Hampshire 110 30 27%

Vermont 74 23 32%

Alaska 64 20 31%

Dist of Columbia 29 10 35%

National 33,808 10,839 32%

Puerto Rico 365 109 30%



*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.”

**A driver involved in a motor vehicle crash is considered alcohol-impaired if he or she exhibits a BAC of .08 or greater.

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