Drunk Driving Statistics
For more than three decades the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility has been leading the fight to eliminate drunk driving and underage drinking. During this time drunk driving fatalities have declined 26% and among those under 21 the number of fatalities has decreased 61%. Underage drinking among the nation’s youth has continued to decline with fewer reporting drinking each year – past month consumption decreasing 46% since 1991 – while the number of conversations among parents and kids has increased.
Responsibility.org has transformed countless lives through programs that have contributed to these historic lows in drunk driving and underage drinking. National and state level statistics assist Responsibility.org in our efforts to eliminate drunk driving and underage drinking. As part of our commitment to guiding a lifetime of conversations around alcohol responsibility, including responsible decision-making regarding beverage alcohol and reducing the prevalence of underage drinking, we track drunk driving and underage drinking trends as well as other national relevant trends and statistics.
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- Among all 50 states and DC, the percent of drunk driving fatalities ranged from 19% (Kentucky) to 43% (Montana) in 2018.
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- In 2018, 10,511 people died in a drunk driving crash – on average 1 every 50 minutes.
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- For the first time, less than 1,000 youth under 21 died in a drunk driving crash.
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- For every 100,000 people in the US, slightly more than 3 people died in a drunk driving crash.
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- The rate of drunk driving fatalities has decreased 9% over the past decade.
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- 29% of fatal vehicle crashes involved an alcohol-impaired driver in 2018.
