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, 13,524 people died in alcohol-impaired crashes in 2022—a slight decrease of about 1 percent from 2021. Alcohol-impaired crash fatalities accounted for 32 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, 1985-2022

		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	10,084	31
2014	32,744	9,943	30
2015	35,485	10,280	29
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	11,727	30
2021	42,939	13,617	32
2022	42,514	13,524	32

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, 2013 And 2022 (1)

Age	2013	2022	Point change
15 to 20	17%	19%	2 pts
21 to 24	32	29	-3
25 to 34	30	28	-2
35 to 44	24	24	0
45 to 54	20	20	0
55 to 64	14	17	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, 2022

		Alcohol-impaired crash fatalities (1)
Person type	Total killed	Number	Percent of total killed
Vehicle occupants
Driver	20,908	7,580	36%
Passenger	6,393	2,144	34
Unknown occupant	43	4	10
Total	27,344	9,729	36%
Motorcyclists (2)	6,218	2,160	35%
Nonoccupants
Pedestrian	7,522	1,394	19
Pedalcyclist	1,105	177	16
Other/unknown	325	64	20
Total	8,952	1,635	18%
Total	42,514	13,524	32%

(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.
(2) Beginning in 2022, operators and passengers of motorized bicycles are captured as pedalcyclists when involved in a motor vehicle traffic crash.

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

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