Although road safety regulations have come a long way in the past decades, drunk driving is still a big issue in the United States. To get a better picture of just how serious the problem is, here are eight statistics on drinking and driving that depict a startling picture of the state of our roads.

1. More than 30% of all traffic related deaths are due to drunk driving.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) posted statistics that over a third of all traffic related deaths are caused by DUI drivers. This makes DUI driving one of the foremost preventable causes of traffic deaths in the country.
(Source: The Century Council)

2. Someone is killed by drunk driving every hour.

With Americans taking more than 200 billion car trips each year, the United States is more susceptible than ever to incidents caused by drunk driving. Close to 10,000 people were killed in accidents involving drunk drivers in both 2011 and 2010 which adds up to one death every hour. 17% of those deaths in 2010 were of children aged 14years old and below.
(Source: NHTSA.gov)

3. A person is injured every minute and a half because of DUI.

Deaths aren’t the only prevailing statistic among DUI incidents. Reports have shown that at least a single passenger, pedestrian or driver is injured by DUI drivers every 90 seconds. Although statistics vary on the demographic of the injured parties, this is a sign that DUI casualties are not skewed to a particular group of individuals.
(Source: MADD)

4. Nearly 40% of teens believe they are an exception to the effects of drunk driving.

Despite the previous statistics, a study has shown that a fairly large amount of teenagers believe that they are above the effects of alcohol. 18% of surveyed teenagers believe that they are unaffected by alcohol while driving, while another 18% believe that alcohol makes them more capable drivers.
(Source: USA Today)

5. A Third of DUI incidents are caused by repeat offenders.

In tracing a pattern among the most predominant DUI offenders, studies have shown that a third of reported DUI incidents have been caused by repeat offenders. When put into perspective, this means that of the millions of motorists on the road, more than 2 million of them are documented drunk drivers who have been reported at least three times.
(Source: MADD)

6. DUI related vehicle crashes cost more than $37 billion annually.

Drunk driving has not only had a huge impact on the safety of the U.S populace, reports have shown that the damages caused by DUI incidents stack up to an estimated $37 billion annually. This number includes property damage, insurance claims, medical bills and lost labor hours.
(Source: The Century Council)

7. Motorists are more likely to experience a DUI related incident between midnight and 3 a.m.

In a study conducted by the NHTSA, it was discovered that of all fatal car crashes occurring between 12 a.m and 3 a.m, 66 percent of them involved DUI drivers. This makes the hours after midnight the most dangerous time of the day to go on a drive.
(Source: NHTSA.gov)

8. One out of every 121 licensed drivers are arrested for drunk driving.

Despite increasingly stringent road traffic regulations and additional mandatory automobile safety features, DUI drivers remain to be undeterred. One out of every 121 licensed drivers is arrested for DUI. That number is approximately 1.5 million people every single year.
(Source: Drunk.gov)

Follow