Every day, Americans are involved in car accidents that involve a driver under the influence of alcohol. Drunk driving is a crime that can cost lives. If a person’s Blood Alcohol Content is over .08% it’s illegal to drive, yet too many people get behind the wheel anyway. These facts demonstrate just how widespread this problem is.
5 Sobering Drunk Driving Facts
1. 37 people die in car crashes across the U.S. every day. (Source)
This is one death every 45 minutes, a staggering number.
2. When teenagers are in car accidents, 1 in 4 involves an underage driver under the influence. (Source)
Car crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers. When roughly half of children have tried alcohol under age 15, it seems clear that drunk driving is having a significant impact on the death toll.
3. The city with the largest number of drunk driving fatalities is Odessa, Texas. (Source)
Odessa saw 27.46 people involved in fatal drunk driving accidents per 100,000 people. There were 23 people involved in aggravated drunk driving accidents, which is a BAC over .15%.
4. 32% of car crash fatalities involved a drunk driver. (Source)
In 2022, 13,524 Americans died in a drunk driving crash. Many of these people were innocent, sober victims.
5. A BAC over .10% is seven times more likely to result in a fatal drunk driving accident. (Source)
Apart from this BAC being more dangerous, a BAC over .15 qualifies as aggravated drunk driving which can become a felony and always includes a harsher punishment.
