19 Sobering Drunk Driving and DUI Facts

Drunk driving represents an enormous problem in the United States and abroad, with 32 people being killed every day by drunk drivers.

In this blog post, we’ll discuss some key statistics from drunk driving. We’ll start with the scale of the issue, then we’ll take a look at the personal toll it takes on a person, and we’ll finish it by broadening out and looking at the societal impact.

The Widespread Use of Driving Drunk

Despite millions spent on public advertising campaigns to reduce drunk driving, it remains a significant issue. It’s estimated that 127 million people drove impaired in 2020. This falls in line with the rough average that it’s been over the last 30 years:

Despite this prevalence of drunk driving, only 1 million people per year are arrested in the United States.

The High Cost of Driving Drunk

Now that we’ve covered the prevalence and significance of this issue, let’s go through the process of a DUI. Including how little alcohol it takes to go over the legal limit, and the significant costs it imposes on a person.

Getting a DUI

For most drinkers, reaching the .08 blood alcohol concentration (BAC) (the legal limit in the United States) takes fewer drinks than you may realize. According to the University of Arizona, just 2-4 drinks in one hour is sufficient to get most people above the legal limit. There are many factors that play into this, of course, including the individual’s body weight, gender (for women it’s fewer drinks to achieve .08), the alcohol content in each drink, and more. But for many, drinking a few beers in one hour at a bar and driving home will be enough for them to be driving drunk.

Once an individual is pulled over and suspected of driving drunk, the police officer administers tests to determine if the user is intoxicated. The three most reliable tests are the horizontal-gaze-nystagmus (HGN) test, the walk-and-turn test, and the one-leg-stand test.

If the police officer determines the individual to be intoxicated, they are taken to a local jail or police station. If they are held in jail, there is a bail fee the individual would have to pay to release them from jail. The judge determines the bail fee, and in many cases this costs at least a few thousand dollars, though it does vary widely by state.

Most individuals need to hire an attorney for their DUI defense in court. Each case is unique, with factors that determine how much an individual will pay for an attorney. The national average ends up being about $1,500 – $3,000 for an attorney. Some can end up much higher – a person on Reddit reported paying $6,500.

For those that cannot afford the attorney fees, they may qualify for a public defender. However, the outcome may not be as good for someone who ends up with this option.

In addition to the hefty fees paid for an attorney, an individual also has to pay for court-ordered fines, DMV fees, fees for a towed and impounded vehicle, and higher auto insurance rates that will stay elevated for years after the incident. Forbes reports that it can vary from 29% to 148% increase in premium after a DUI.

They may also have to pay for driving school and/or substance abuse classes and have to shell out for an ignition interlock system, which can cost between $70 – $150 for installation.

Societal Consequences of Drunk Driving

In addition to the high individual costs that drunk driving has on a person, there are also broader societal implications.

13,524 people died in alcohol-impaired accidents in 2022 in the United States alone. And another 254,000 people were injured in crashes where police reported that alcohol was present.

Beyond the strain drunk driving takes on hospitals and law enforcement, drunk driving also impacts insurance premiums not just for the driver, but for everyone. There are also economic consequences of driving drunk, with it costing the United States $68.9 billion annually.

The Cost of a Shared Ride

When all these costs are added up – thousands of dollars for the individual, and loss of thousands of lives annually to drunk driving, the impact of DUIs on individuals and society becomes clear.

This underscores the urgent need for more effective prevention strategies, such as opting for a much cheaper Uber or Lyft ride instead of risking the high costs of a DUI. The average cost of an Uber or Lyft is about $25.

And shared rides are having a positive impact on reducing DUIs. A study published in the National Bureau of Economic Research concludes, “Overall, our results imply that ridesharing has decreased US alcohol-related traffic fatalities by 6.1% and reduced total US traffic fatalities by 4.0%.”

DUI Stats

Here’s a summary of the stats we’ve covered in this post, with a few bonus stats as well:

• 127 million people drove impaired in 2020
• 1 million people are arrested per year for drunk driving (1,024,508 in 2019, the latest year the FBI reported)
• 13,524 people died in alcohol-impaired accidents in 2022
• 254,000 people were injured in crashes where alcohol was present
• 2-4 drinks in one hour are all that’s needed for many to reach the .08 legal limit
• Average costs for an attorney are $1,500 – $3,000, though this varies widely
• Insurance premium increases can reach as high as 148%
• Drunk driving costs the United States $68.9 billion annually.
• The average cost of an Uber or Lyft is about $25.
• Ridesharing has decreased US alcohol-related traffic fatalities by 6.1%
• Drivers aged 21-34 have the highest percentage of alcohol-impaired crashes
• Men are more likely to drive while intoxicated.
• About one-third of drivers who were arrested or convicted for DWI had previous offenses for alcohol-impaired driving.
• One-third of all fatal crashes involve alcohol-impaired drivers
• Fatal crashes involving alcohol-impaired drivers most often occur between midnight and 3 am
• Drivers involved in fatal crashes were twice as likely to be alcohol-impaired on weekends, than during the week (31% vs 16%)
• Despite less driving during the pandemic, there were more than 9% fatalities from alcohol-impaired driving in 2020 vs 2019
• The 10 states for the most DUI arrests per 100,000 drivers are:
  • South Dakota
  • North Dakota
  • Wyoming
  • Alaska
  • Nevada
  • Wisconsin
  • Minnesota
  • Vermont
  • Maine
• The fewest are:
  • Delaware
  • Illinois
  • Florida
  • Louisiana
  • Alabama
  • Ohio
  • Massachusetts
  • New York
  • North Carolina
  • West Virginia

Conclusion

Despite the rise of shared driving and public awareness campaigns, drunk driving remains a serious issue with significant individual and societal costs. One statistic alone is the most troubling: 32 lives are lost every day by drunk driving. Shared rides have helped, with an estimated 6.1% decrease in alcohol-related traffic fatalities.

But there remain obstacles and room for improvement – shared rides aren’t available in many rural areas of the country, public awareness campaigns have a limited effect, and many police departments across the country are short-staffed. This shortage means officers are spending more time responding to calls, and less time patrolling and picking up drunk drivers. We noted the statistic earlier: an estimated 127 million people drove impaired in 2020, yet only 1 million were arrested for drunk driving.

We hope this post showed you the scale of the issue. It’s not all doom and gloom: progress against drunk driving has been made, but much remains. By increasing awareness, expanding access to shared rides, and having a sober ride, we can make substantial progress in reducing its devastating impact.

Image Credits: Featured Image Source, High Costs, Statistics