ONE DUI IS TOO MANY –
Feb. 11, 2025 – Drunk driving is responsible for about 1 in 3 traffic fatalities in the United States, according to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.. The frequency of alcohol-impaired driving accidents varies depending on driver’s age, location and the time of year.
The annual number of fatal traffic accidents involving drunk driving increased by 31% between 2012 and 2022, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Fatalities increased from about 10,336 to 13,524 per year. DUI-related crashes were connected to about 30% of all road deaths during that time.
There was a small but consistent yearly decline in the percentage of road deaths that involved a drunk driver from 2012 to 2019, until the trend reversed itself during the COVID-19 pandemic. The years 2020, 2021 and 2022 all saw an increase in the percentage of road deaths involving a drunk driver.
That increase outpaced the overall number of road deaths during that time — overall, 26% more people were killed on American roads in 2022 than in 2012.
