Drunk Driving FAQ

Thirty-two percent (32%) of all traffic fatalities in 2007 involved an alcohol-impaired driver with a blood alcohol concentration of at least 0.01 gram per deciliter (g/dL). The 12,998 alcohol-related traffic fatalities in 2007 represent a 4% reduction from the 13,401 alcohol-impaired fatalities in 2006. The U.S. is making progress toward reducing alcohol-impaired traffic fatalities.

On average one alcohol-impaired driving fatality occurs every 40 minutes. Of the 12,998 people who died in alcohol-impaired crashes in 2007, 8,644 (66.5%) were killed in crashes where at least one driver had a BAC of .08 g/dL or higher. In 2006, an estimated 1.46 million drivers were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics. This is an arrest rate of 1 for every 139 licensed drivers in the United States.