What State Has the Lowest Rate of Drunk Driving Deaths?
Considering the number of fatalities associated with drunk driving, it should come as no surprise that the state with the lowest rate isn’t California. It’s Wyoming. Wyoming is known for its liberal alcohol laws and high DUI arrest rate, but it’s not the happiest state on earth.
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The national average for alcohol-impaired fatalities was 0.31 per 100,000 people, while the rate in Wyoming was more like 0.12. Wyoming was one of 27 states that had a drunk driving fatality rate that was below the national average. Interestingly, Utah was the only state with an alcohol-related fatality rate that was less than 20% of the national average.
There are several factors to consider when considering the state with the lowest rate of drunk driving deaths. The number of alcohol-impaired deaths per 100,000 people, the number of drunk drivers involved in fatal crashes for every 100,000 licensed drivers, the number of fatal crashes involving alcohol-impaired drivers, and the number of DUI arrests per 100K licensed drivers are all important factors. However, the CDC suggests that the most effective strategies involve educating drivers about the dangers of drunk driving, enforcing alcohol-impaired driving laws, and creating public awareness campaigns.
Using the data gathered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Forbes Advisor ranked the states with the highest and lowest rates of drunk driving deaths. New York was at the top of the list for the number of drunk driving deaths and the number of drunk drivers involved in fatal crashes. It was also the top state for the number of DUI arrests per 100K drivers.
Montana was the highest state for the number of alcohol-impaired deaths per capita, and it was also the state with the highest number of DUI arrests per capita. While it’s hard to make a case for Montana as the state with the lowest rate of alcohol-related fatalities, it’s worth noting that the state had the second-highest number of drunk driving fatalities per capita in the country.
New Jersey came in a close second in the number of DUI arrests per 100K people category. It also tied with Utah and North Dakota in the number of DUI fatalities per 100,000 drivers. New Jersey has the highest rate of drunk driving fatalities per capita, but it also has the lowest rate of drunk driving accidents per capita. Moreover, it had the lowest number of drunk drivers involved in fatal crashes for drivers under 21. The state also had the best DUI safety ratings, as it was the lowest in the nation in terms of seat belt use.
The number of DUI arrests per capita, the number of drunk drivers involved in fatal accidents for drivers under 21, the number of DUI fatalities per capita, and the number of DUI accidents per capita all make the state with the lowest rate of drunk driving fatalities a contender for the top spot. However, it should be noted that the top five states with the lowest rate of drunk driving fatalities are also the states with the highest percentage of drunk driving fatalities.