Alcohol impaired driving causes 216 deaths each day and accounts for 30 percent of all traffic crash fatalities. Among adults aged 18 to 20, 0.6 percent reported drinking and driving in the past month while 8 percent reported it over the past year. These figures occur under zero tolerance blood alcohol limits set between 0.02 and 0.04 for drivers under 21.
Key Takeaways
- 49 states and the District of Columbia have a legal minimum drinking age of 21
- 0.6% of U.S. adults aged 18–20 reported drinking and driving in the past month (2006–2010 pooled data)
- 8% of young adults aged 18–20 reported drinking and driving at least once in the past year (2006–2010 pooled data)
- 13,524 people died in alcohol-impaired driving crashes in 2022
- Alcohol-impaired driving fatalities accounted for 30% of all traffic crash deaths in 2022
- In 2022, 216 people died in alcohol-impaired driving crashes every day on average (13,524/365)
- The CDC reports 1,917 deaths attributed to motor vehicle crashes where alcohol was involved among people aged 18–20 (year referenced in the CDC alcohol and health dataset)
- 18–20 is one of the key age groups the CDC groups for alcohol consumption and driving risk indicators
- 21–24 is a key age group used by CDC for alcohol-related indicators
- The age group 18–20 reported drinking and driving at least once in the past year at 8% (pooled 2006–2010 NHIS)
- The age group 18–20 reported drinking and driving in the past month at 0.6% (pooled 2006–2010 NHIS)
- The NHTSA estimates that enforcing zero tolerance laws for under-21 drivers helps reduce alcohol-impaired driving crashes
With a 21+ drinking age, U.S. teens still report drinking and driving, and alcohol-impaired deaths remain high.
Related reading
01 · Category
Legal Framework10 stats
01
49 states and the District of Columbia have a legal minimum drinking age of 21https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/drunk-driving
02
0.6% of U.S. adults aged 18–20 reported drinking and driving in the past month (2006–2010 pooled data)https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db144.pdf
03
8% of young adults aged 18–20 reported drinking and driving at least once in the past year (2006–2010 pooled data)https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db144.pdf
04
3% of adults aged 18–20 reported they had ridden with a drunk driver (2006–2010 pooled data)https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db144.pdf
05
0.02 is the blood alcohol concentration threshold used in many ‘zero tolerance’ laws for drivers under 21https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/drunk-driving
06
0.04 is the blood alcohol concentration threshold used in many ‘zero tolerance’ laws for under-21 drivershttps://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/drunk-driving
07
0.08 is the blood alcohol concentration threshold commonly used for impairment-related DUI charges for drivers 21 and older in the U.S.https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/drunk-driving
08
0.08 g/dL (0.08% BAC) is the commonly used per se DUI BAC level in the U.S. for adults 21+https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/drunk-driving
09
18–20 is the age range most often analyzed for underage drinking and driving in U.S. federal research summarieshttps://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db144.pdf
10
In the U.S., drivers under 21 face ‘zero tolerance’ BAC limits while drivers 21 and older generally face a higher per se limithttps://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/drunk-driving
Interpretation
Legal Framework Interpretation
Across U.S. federal research on ages 18–20, just 0.6% reported drinking and driving in the past month, but the rate rises to 8% over the past year, and this pattern occurs under strict zero tolerance BAC limits of 0.02 to 0.04 for drivers under 21.
02 · Category
Deaths And Injuries12 stats
01
13,524 people died in alcohol-impaired driving crashes in 2022https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/API/Public/ViewPublication/813377
02
Alcohol-impaired driving fatalities accounted for 30% of all traffic crash deaths in 2022https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/API/Public/ViewPublication/813377
03
In 2022, 216 people died in alcohol-impaired driving crashes every day on average (13,524/365)https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/API/Public/ViewPublication/813377
04
In 2021, 13,384 people died in alcohol-impaired driving crasheshttps://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/API/Public/ViewPublication/813101
05
Alcohol-impaired driving fatalities were 29% of all traffic crash deaths in 2021https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/API/Public/ViewPublication/813101
06
In 2017, 10,511 people died in alcohol-impaired driving crasheshttps://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/API/Public/ViewPublication/812004
07
In 2016, 10,497 people died in alcohol-impaired driving crasheshttps://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/API/Public/ViewPublication/811804
08
In 2015, 10,265 people died in alcohol-impaired driving crasheshttps://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/API/Public/ViewPublication/811610
09
In 2014, 10,076 people died in alcohol-impaired driving crasheshttps://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/API/Public/ViewPublication/811431
10
In 2013, 10,076 people died in alcohol-impaired driving crashes (NHTSA Alcohol-Impaired Driving Fatality trends dataset)https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/API/Public/ViewPublication/811431
11
In 2012, 10,322 people died in alcohol-impaired driving crasheshttps://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/API/Public/ViewPublication/811250
12
In 2003, 16,049 people died in alcohol-impaired driving crasheshttps://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/API/Public/ViewPublication/809770
Interpretation
Deaths And Injuries Interpretation
Despite being lower in recent years than in 2003 when 16,049 people died in alcohol-impaired crashes, fatalities have remained in the 10,000 range, with 13,524 deaths in 2022 making up 30% of all traffic crash deaths and about 216 deaths every day.
More related reading
03 · Category
Risk By Age13 stats
01
The CDC reports 1,917 deaths attributed to motor vehicle crashes where alcohol was involved among people aged 18–20 (year referenced in the CDC alcohol and health dataset)https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/alcohol.htm
02
18–20 is one of the key age groups the CDC groups for alcohol consumption and driving risk indicatorshttps://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/alcohol.htm
03
21–24 is a key age group used by CDC for alcohol-related indicatorshttps://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/alcohol.htm
04
The NIAAA notes that people aged 18–20 have higher rates of past-month binge drinking than older adultshttps://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/underage-drinking
05
0.08 BAC is the per se DUI limit for adults 21+ (age threshold relates to impaired-driving charges)https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/drunk-driving
06
0.02 BAC is a commonly referenced ‘zero tolerance’ limit for drivers under 21 (age threshold relates to impaired-driving charges)https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/drunk-driving
07
18–20 has a higher prevalence of driving after drinking compared with older age groups in CDC analyseshttps://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db144.pdf
08
8% of adults aged 18–20 reported drinking and driving in the past year (2006–2010 pooled data)https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db144.pdf
09
0.6% of adults aged 18–20 reported drinking and driving in the past month (2006–2010 pooled data)https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db144.pdf
10
Under-21 zero tolerance enforcement applies specifically to drivers who have not reached 21https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/drunk-driving
11
18–20 is the specific age range used for underage driving after drinking prevalence estimates in CDC NHIS-based analyseshttps://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db144.pdf
12
18–20 is the age range used for NHIS estimates of ‘riding with a drunk driver’ exposurehttps://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db144.pdf
13
21+ is used as the comparator age category in CDC ‘alcohol and health’ indicator presentationshttps://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/alcohol.htm
Interpretation
Risk By Age Interpretation
Even though only 8% of adults aged 18–20 reported drinking and driving in the past year, CDC reports 1,917 alcohol involved crash deaths for this 18–20 group, underscoring how elevated risk among young adults can translate into substantial harm.
04 · Category
Prevention Effectiveness6 stats
01
The age group 18–20 reported drinking and driving at least once in the past year at 8% (pooled 2006–2010 NHIS)https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db144.pdf
02
The age group 18–20 reported drinking and driving in the past month at 0.6% (pooled 2006–2010 NHIS)https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db144.pdf
03
The NHTSA estimates that enforcing zero tolerance laws for under-21 drivers helps reduce alcohol-impaired driving crasheshttps://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/drunk-driving
04
The National Academies review found that raising the minimum legal drinking age reduced alcohol-related crashes among young drivers (review quantitative synthesis)https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/14585/relative-effects-of-prevention-policies-on-traffic-safety
05
NHTSA lists ‘graduated driver licensing’ as a countermeasure with measurable reductions in crash risk for teen drivershttps://www.nhtsa.gov/road-safety/teen-driving
06
GDL requirements include multiple stages (learner/conditional) with restrictions that are designed to reduce crash risk among new drivershttps://www.nhtsa.gov/road-safety/teen-driving
Interpretation
Prevention Effectiveness Interpretation
Among drivers aged 18–20, the share who reported drinking and driving at least once in the past year is 8% but drops to just 0.6% for the past month, aligning with evidence that policies like zero tolerance, raising the minimum legal drinking age, and graduated driver licensing can reduce alcohol-impaired and teen crash risk.
Reference
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APA
Elif Demirci. (2026, February 13). Drunk Driving Age Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/drunk-driving-age-statistics
MLA
Elif Demirci. "Drunk Driving Age Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/drunk-driving-age-statistics.
Chicago
Elif Demirci. 2026. "Drunk Driving Age Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/drunk-driving-age-statistics.
Sources & references
14 datasets cited across this report
+9 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)