How Many People Does Drunk Driving Kill?
Depending on where you live, drunk driving fatalities can vary a lot. For instance, the District of Columbia has the lowest rate of fatal drunk driving in the country. Despite this fact, there were six drunk driving deaths in the District of Columbia in 2019.
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The rate of drunk driving in the District of Columbia is 0.77 fatalities per 100,000 people. New York, on the other hand, has a rate of 1.11 fatalities per 100,000 people. These numbers indicate that drunk driving is one of the leading causes of death in the country. It should be noted that a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08g/dL is the legal limit in nearly every state. However, a BAC of 0.08g/dL or higher can hurt driving performance, including reduced information processing capability, lack of concentration, short-term memory loss, and impaired perception.
There are many reasons why people are killed or injured in drunk driving accidents. For instance, a driver’s age, gender, and location can all affect the likelihood of a drunk driving crash. In general, women are less likely to drive under the influence than men. However, men are also more likely to engage in risky driving behaviors such as speeding. Also, drivers who have been convicted of DUI or DWI are more likely to drive drunk than drivers who have never been convicted.
Even though drunk driving is illegal in all 50 states, it remains one of the top causes of traffic fatalities. Alcohol-related traffic fatalities make up just over 30% of all traffic fatalities nationwide. The number of alcohol-related traffic accidents in the United States has declined since the 1980s, but they are still present.
During the summer months, there were more fatal crashes involving drunk driving. In fact, during the “100 Deadliest Days of Summer” period between Memorial Day and Labor Day, more than a quarter of all traffic deaths occurred in the U.S. That is a big number and it is no wonder why so many people died.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, over ten thousand people are killed by drunk drivers each year. Of the more than ten thousand people killed each year by drunk drivers, one in eight are children. Children under the age of 14 are the most likely to be killed in a drunk driving crash, compared to adults. 214 children aged 14 and under were occupants of vehicles with drunk drivers in 2018.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that a minimum drinking age of 21 can save over 30,000 lives. While this is an impressive number, it is still small compared to the number of drunk drivers who are arrested each year. Another study found that drunk driving kills more than one in every two people who are in an auto accident. This is the equivalent of over 310 funerals every week.
The most common drunk driving accidents involve drivers under the age of 21, but drivers aged 21 to 34 are also at risk. Drivers aged 25 to 34 account for 25% of all fatal alcohol-impaired crashes. Moreover, men are four times more likely to be involved in drunk driving crashes than women. The odds of being involved in a drunk driving crash are also higher among African Americans.