Reports from 2004 show a slight decrease in deaths caused by alcohol related crashes, but over 16,000 people still die each year due to impaired driving. It is estimated that one in three people will be affected by impaired driving in their lifetime. Check out these facts on alcohol-related driving and see just important this issue is.

Impaired Driving

• 40% of all traffic deaths in 2003 involved alcohol.

• 17, 013 people were killed in alcohol related crashes in 2003, an average of one person every 30 minutes.¹

• In 2003, an estimated 275,000 people (drivers, passengers, motorcycle riders, and non-occupants) were injured in alcohol related crashes, an average of one person every 2 minutes.¹

• 7,527 passengers, motorcycle riders, and non-occupants (pedestrians and pedal cyclists) were killed in alcohol related crashes in 2003.¹

• Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for young people between 15 and 24 years old. In 2002, 3,827 drivers age 15 to 20 years died in crashes.

• Twenty-four percent of the drivers in the 15 to 20 year old age range who died in crashes had a BAC of 0.08 or higher.²

• In 2003, the median BAC value for alcohol-involved drivers was 0.16 g/dl BAC, meaning that more than half of all alcohol-involved drivers had BACs higher than twice the legal limit in most states.¹

• 14, 630 people were killed in 2003 in alcohol-related crashes in which the driver had a BAC level equal to or greater than the legal limit of 0.08.¹

• In 2003, 1,729 SUV occupants died in alcohol-related crashes. This is a 5% increase from the number of SUV occupants killed in alcohol-related crashes in 2002.¹

• However, there was a 4.1% decrease in 2003 from 2002 in the total number of occupants (passenger car, vans, SUVs, pickup truck, large trucks) killed in alcohol-related crashes.¹

• In 2003, approximately 1,240 fatalities occurred in crashes involving alcohol impaired or intoxicated driver(s) who had at least one previous DWI conviction, accounting for 7% of all alcohol-related fatalities.¹

• Of all the fatal crashes in 2002, the highest intoxication rates were recorded in drivers 21-24 years old.³

• Approximately 1.4 million drivers were arrested in 2001 for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics, an arrest rate of 1 out of every 137 licensed U.S. drivers.³

• Alcohol-impaired driving is highest among persons aged 21-24.⁴

• Alcohol-related crashes in the United States cost the public about $51 billion yearly.

• Crashes involving an alcohol impaired driver or non-occupant are about 50% more likely to result in an injury of fatality than in a crash where no alcohol is involved.⁵

• 77% of fatal crashes involving alcohol occur at night (between 6:00pm and 6:00am).⁶

• In fatal crashes, drivers in crashes that occur during a weekend are about twice as likely to be intoxicated as drivers who are involved in crashes that occur during a weekday.⁵