Drunk Driving Statistics

In 2001, over half a million people were injured in automobile accidents that officially involved alchohol. If you break this down, one person is injured in a car accident involving alcohol about every minute. In addition, about three out of every 10 Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related car accident at some point in their lives.

In terms of when the alcohol-related accidents occur, 30 percent of all fatal accidents that involve alcohol occur during weekends. During the weekends, 53 percent of fatal accidents involving alcohol occur. In terms of all crashes related to alcohol, regardless of injury or death, five percent occurred during the week. The rate increased to 12 percent on the weekends.

For all fatal crashes in 2003, 77 percent of them that occurred between midnight and 3:00 AM involved alcohol. During the time period of 9:00 AM and midnight, 64 percent of accidents with fatalities involved alcohol. Motorcyclists were the most likely to be involved in a fatal accident involving alcohol. Individuals driving large trucks actually had the smallest rate of being involved in an alcohol-related accident. Of course, these statistics are probably also related to the types of vehicle being driven. Large trucks provide more protection for the driver than a motorcycle.

Finally, for accidents resulting in fatalities, male drivers were more likely to be intoxicated than females. Statistics shows that 25 percent of those involved in alcohol-related crashes with fatalities were men, while only 12 percent were women. In addition, it should be no surprise that in terms of age, only five percent of individuals involved in alcohol-related fatalities were over the age of 70.