Which Country Has the Most Drunk Driving Accidents?
Several factors influence the number of drunk driving accidents and fatalities in a country. Among these is the rate of alcohol consumption, the age of drivers, and geography. The European Union estimates that 25% of all road deaths in the EU are alcohol-related. In addition, alcohol and drugs can impair driving and increase the risk of an accident. However, some countries do not publish alcohol-related statistics. Some do not respond to repeated requests for information. Some do not define the term “alcohol-involved crash” or the time limit for driving under the influence.
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While alcohol-impaired drivers are responsible for 15% of all traffic fatalities in the United States, their number is decreasing. The CDC indicates that media campaigns, sobriety checkpoints, treatment programs, and ignition interlocks decrease the number of drunk driving accidents. In the US, there are over 10,000 deaths from alcohol-related accidents each year. The number of deaths caused by drunk driving has decreased over the past four decades, but it remains high for a developed country.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that approximately one-fifth of the adult population engages in episodic drinking. The percentage of heavy episodic drinkers is higher in Europe than in other parts of the world. The WHO Report on Alcohol and Health shows that in the 1990s, the average consumption of alcohol decreased. It also shows that the total amount of alcohol consumed per capita increased significantly.
In the United Kingdom, the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety studied road deaths in Great Britain in 2018. They found that drunken driving crashes accounted for 13% of all road deaths in the UK in 2018. The statistics also showed that the proportion of drivers who were under the influence was higher for younger and older drivers. For instance, 9% of all lethal accidents during the day involved alcohol-impaired drivers. The majority of fatal collisions occurred at night when alcohol impairment was significantly higher. In the United States, nearly two-thirds of all alcohol-impaired deaths occurred in crashes involving a driver with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.15 grams or more of alcohol in their bloodstream.
Many countries require all drivers to submit to testing under certain circumstances. Some also have zero-tolerance policies. In the United States, a DUI conviction can result in jail time, license suspension, and even fines. In Canada, the law is similar to the United States, but it also includes a jail sentence for a second conviction. The District of Columbia has the lowest rate of drunk driving accidents and fatalities in the nation.
In other countries, such as Sweden, the rate of alcohol-involved crashes is low and the rate of drink-driving fatalities is also relatively low. The rate of alcohol-involved accidents is lower in Norway than in other European countries.
The highest alcohol-involved crash fatality rate was in Texas. This was followed by Pennsylvania, New York, and Utah. The State of Idaho had the fourth-highest drunken driving fatality rate in the United States.