What Is The Percentage Of Drunk Driving Accidents?
Across the United States, 29 people die every day from drunk driving. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), drunk driving is the leading cause of death for drivers under age 25, causing 17,000 deaths annually. These accidents are also known as “driver fatalities” because the driver involved had an illegal blood alcohol content (BAC).
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In 2016, NHTSA estimates that 10,511 drivers died from alcohol-related crashes. This represents an increase of over seven percent from the five-year average. The NHTSA’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System includes data from all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
In 2018, alcohol-impaired drivers were involved in 147 million crashes. These crashes caused nearly 2,000 people to be injured and over 210,000 vehicles to be damaged. These crashes cost the economy about $44 billion each year.
The most dangerous time for drunk driving is between the hours of 12 and 3 AM. The percentage of crashes that involve alcohol is slightly higher at night than during the day. One-quarter of all crashes are at night. During daylight, 9% of crashes involved alcohol.
Alcohol-related traffic crashes are most common during the summer months, and this is why the Fourth of July is considered the most dangerous day of the year. Another dangerous day is the holiday of St. Patrick’s Day, which also is the most popular time for drunk driving. In 2020, the rate of alcohol-related crash deaths was 9.3 per 100,000 people.
The rate of fatal crashes with alcohol was three times higher at night than during the day. Among the 20-24-year-olds, men were more likely to drive drunk than women. Males account for eighty percent of all DUI arrests.
Two main factors determine the risk of being involved in an alcohol-related crash. These factors include weather and the time of day. The most likely times for drunk driving to occur are during the night and during the summer. More than six out of ten of all fatal alcohol-related car crashes happen on weekends.
In the United States, the minimum drinking age is 21. Although there are some exceptions, most states require a DUI arrest to be made for a driver whose BAC is 0.08 percent or higher. In the case of a first offender, a fine of up to $10,000 can be imposed. The law has been shown to save more than 30,000 lives each year.
In the United States, the majority of alcohol-related crashes occur on non-interstate roads. However, there are still some significant differences between the percentage of alcohol-related crashes in rural and urban areas. Specifically, in urban areas, about half of fatal crashes involve alcohol. Similarly, about fifty percent of fatal crashes involve alcohol in rural areas.
In North Carolina, the most likely time for an alcohol-related crash is during the night. While the number of accidents that involve alcohol is lower in smaller metropolitan areas, the overall number of alcohol-related crashes is higher. In North Carolina, more than sixty percent of the population lives in urban areas. The largest metropolitan area in the state, Raleigh, had a total of forty-eight alcohol-related crashes in 2018.