According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), close to 30 people in the United States lost their lives in drunk-driving car accidents. Looking back from 2010 to 2019, more than 10,000 lives were lost due to a driver behind the wheel while under the influence.
In reality, 2019 saw the lowest number of drunk driving fatalities since 1982, when deaths were at 10,142, the same time the NHTSA started collecting data on DUI fatalities. Currently, one-third of deaths on the road saw a drunk driver behind the wheel.
Looking at Indiana, 3,148 people died in drunk driving crashes from 2009 to 2018.
Startling statistics paint a grim picture
Drunk driving has its costs behind the personal impact. Annually, the annual cost of alcohol-fueled car crashes exceeds $44 billion based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Additional statistics tell a troubling story:
- Nearly twice as many alcohol-related and fatal car wrecks happen during the weekend (NHTSA)
- Nearly a third of drivers involved in fatal collisions involving drunk driving happened at night (NHTSA)
- For 147 million times in 2018, drunk drivers drove while under the influence (CDC)
- For every four males, there was one female drunk driver behind the wheel in 2017 (NHTSA)
- Close to one-third of all traffic deaths involved alcohol impairment in 2018 (NHTSA)
- Six percent of teenagers confessed to drunk driving in the past 30 days (CDC)
- Covid had no impact on alcohol-related traffic crashes even with fewer vehicles on the road, with law enforcement reporting nine percent of accidents caused by alcohol (CDC)
When a worldwide pandemic where people mainly stayed home failed to curb drunk driving, the problem showed no signs of slowing. The level of negligence puts far too many at risk of injury and death.