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Abstract
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Key Findings
■ In 2020 there were 11,654 fatalities in motor vehicle traffic crashes in which at least one driver was alcohol-impaired. This totaled 30 percent of all traffic fatalities in the United States for the year.
■ Fatalities in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes increased by 14.3 percent (10,196 to 11,654 fatalities) from 2019 to 2020.
■ One alcohol-impaired-driving fatality occurred every 45 minutes in 2020, on average.
■ The 21- to 24-year-old age group and the 25- to 34-year-old age group had the highest percentages (26% each) of alcohol-impaired drivers involved in fatal crashes compared to other age groups in 2020.
■ In 2020 there were 4 male alcohol- impaired drivers involved for every female alcohol-impaired driver involved. When compared to all drivers involved in fatal crashes, there were 3 male drivers for every female driver.
■ The percentages of alcohol-impaired drivers involved in fatal crashes in 2020 was the highest for motorcycle riders (27%), compared to drivers of passenger cars (23%), light trucks (19%), and large trucks (3%).
■ Of the 1,093 traffic fatalities in 2020 among children 14 and younger, 21 per- cent (229) occurred in alcohol-impaired- driving crashes.
■ In 2020, among the 11,654 alcohol- impaired-driving fatalities, 67 percent (7,831) were in crashes in which at least one driver had a BAC of .15 g/dL or higher.
■ The rate of alcohol impairment among drivers involved in fatal crashes in 2020 was 3.1 times higher at night than during the day. |