Well-known, and lesser-known, drunk driving facts

Problems relating to driving under the influence are in the news on a regular basis. The issue seems to be more acute during holiday times, accompanied as they are with more drinking, and more travel. To the extent that education can play a role in reducing the incidence of DUI, some of the facts below may help to lessen the number of drunk driving accidents. Here are a few of them, some of them well-known, others you may find surprising:

  • Many people assume that most drunk driving accidents occur on New Year’s Eve, but this is incorrect. Thanksgiving has statistically the greatest number of fatalities attributed to drunk driving.
  • About 16,000 people are killed in drunk driving accidents each year.
  • Alcohol is a factor in about 40% of all fatal traffic accidents. Around one-third of all traffic fatalities involve at least one person with a blood alcohol content (BAC) above 0.08.
  • Almost one-third of all Americans will be in an alcohol-related accident during their lifetime.
  • An alcohol-related injury occurs about every two minutes.
  • Nighttime is the most likely time for an alcohol-related accident. In fact, accidents involving alcohol are around five times as likely as those during the day.
  • Two-thirds of all DUI/DWI convictions involve first-time offenders. This means that about a third of the convictions involve people with one or more prior DUI’s.
  • Young (legal) drinkers, those aged 21 to 34, are responsible for more alcohol-relating driving fatalities than any other age group.

A couple of additional thoughts. First, if you have been drinking, coffee will not sober you up. While caffeine can help keep you awake, it will not restore your vision, or your other senses, that have been impaired by alcohol. Second, many drunk driving arrests are not simply the result of having one too many at an office party, restaurant or other function. Last year in Arizona, for example, more than a quarter of the annual DUI arrests involved drivers with a BAC of 0.15 or greater. That’s about twice the legal limit of 0.08, or even higher.

Stay safe during the holidays. Don’t drink and drive!

The Feldman Law Firm PLLC
1 E. Washington Street
Phoenix, AZ 85004
(602) 540-7887

Scroll to Top