Facts + Statistics: Alcohol-impaired driving

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Alcohol-impaired crashes are those that involve at least one driver or a motorcycle operator with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08 grams per deciliter or above, the legal definition of impaired driving. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Alcohol Impaired Driving Safety Fact Sheet, 13,384 people died in alcohol-impaired crashes in 2021—an increase of 14 percent from 2020. Alcohol-impaired crash fatalities accounted for 31 percent of all crash fatalities.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) 49 states and the District of Columbia have per se laws making it a crime to drive with a BAC at or above 0.08 (Utah the threshold is a BAC of 0.05 percent or above). The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) has information on alcohol impaired driving state laws.

Total Traffic And Alcohol-Impaired Crash Fatalities, 1985-2021 (1)

		Alcohol-impaired crash fatalities (1)
Year	Total traffic fatalities	Number	As a percent of all crash deaths
1985	43,825	18,125	41%
1990	44,599	17,705	40
1995	41,817	13,478	32
2000	41,945	13,324	32
2005	43,510	13,582	31
2010	32,999	10,136	31
2011	32,479	9,865	30
2012	33,782	10,336	31
2013	32,894	10,110	31
2014	32,744	9,943	30
2015	35,485	10,320	30
2016	37,806	10,967	29
2017	37,473	10,880	29
2018	36,835	10,710	29
2019	36,355	10,196	28
2020	39,007	11,718	30
2021	42,939	13,384	31

(1) Alcohol-impaired driving crashes are crashes that involve at least one driver or a motorcycle operator with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08 grams per deciliter or above, the legal definition of alcohol-impaired driving in most states.

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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Percent Of Drivers Involved In Fatal Crashes Impaired By Alcohol By Age, 2012 And 2021 (1)

Age	2012	2021	Point change
15 to 20	17%	17%	0 pts.
21 to 24	32	27	-5
25 to 34	29	27	-2
35 to 44	24	23	-1
45 to 54	21	20	-1
55 to 64	13	16	3
65 to 74	8	12	4
Over 74	5	8	3

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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Persons Killed In Total And Alcohol-Impaired Crashes By Person Type, 2021

		Alcohol-impaired crash fatalities (1)
Person type	Total killed	Number	Percent of total killed
Vehicle occupants
Driver	21,786	7,668	35%
Passenger	6,527	2,078	32
Unknown occupant	45	8	18
Total	28,358	9,754	34%
Motorcyclists	5,932	2,023	34%
Nonoccupants
Pedestrian	7,388	1,383	19
Pedalcyclist	966	157	16
Other/unknown	295	67	23
Total	8,649	1,607	19%
Total	42,939	13,384	31%

(1) Alcohol-impaired driving crashes are crashes that involve at least one driver or a motorcycle operator with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08 grams per deciliter or greater, the legal definition of alcohol-impaired driving.

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

View Archived Tables