Key Takeaways
- In 2021, 13,384 people were killed in alcohol-impaired driving crashes in the United States, representing 31% of all traffic fatalities.
- Alcohol-impaired driving fatalities increased by 14% from 2019 to 2020, rising from 10,142 to 11,654 deaths.
- In 2022, there were 13,524 deaths in crashes involving a driver with illegal BAC (.08+), a 2% increase from 2021.
- In 2021, approximately 293,200 people were injured in alcohol-impaired driving crashes.
- Alcohol-impaired driving injuries rose 5% from 2020 to 2021, from ~280,000 to 293,200.
- Serious injuries from DUI crashes numbered 62,000 in 2020.
- The lifetime cost of DUI injuries averages $1.5 million per serious case.
- Drunk driving crashes cost the US $249 billion annually in medical, lost productivity, etc.
- Average cost per alcohol-impaired crash death: $1.7 million (2020 dollars).
- Men aged 21-34 account for 35% of all drunk drivers in fatal crashes.
- Drivers aged 21-24 have the highest DUI arrest rate at 4,000 per 100,000.
- Males represent 80% of drunk drivers killed in crashes.
- Drunk driving fatalities decreased 50% from 1982 (20,000) to 2021 (13,384).
- DUI arrests dropped 20% from 2013 to 2020 due to rideshares.
- Post-COVID, DUI fatalities surged 18% in 2021.
Drunk driving deaths persistently rise, claiming thousands of lives each year.
Demographics
Demographics Interpretation
Economic Costs
Economic Costs Interpretation
Fatalities
Fatalities Interpretation
Injuries
Injuries Interpretation
Trends
Trends Interpretation
How We Rate Confidence
Every statistic is queried across four AI models (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity). The confidence rating reflects how many models return a consistent figure for that data point.
Only one AI model returns this statistic from its training data. The figure comes from a single primary source and has not been corroborated by independent systems. Use with caution; cross-reference before citing.
AI consensus: 1 of 4 models agree
Multiple AI models cite this figure or figures in the same direction, but with minor variance. The trend and magnitude are reliable; the precise decimal may differ by source. Suitable for directional analysis.
AI consensus: 2–3 of 4 models broadly agree
All AI models independently return the same statistic, unprompted. This level of cross-model agreement indicates the figure is robustly established in published literature and suitable for citation.
AI consensus: 4 of 4 models fully agree
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
Henrik Dahl. (2026, February 13). Drunk Driving Crash Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/drunk-driving-crash-statistics
Henrik Dahl. "Drunk Driving Crash Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/drunk-driving-crash-statistics.
Henrik Dahl. 2026. "Drunk Driving Crash Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/drunk-driving-crash-statistics.
Sources & References
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nhtsa.gov
- Reference 2CRASHSTATScrashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov
crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov
- Reference 3IIIiii.org
iii.org
- Reference 4INJURYFACTSinjuryfacts.iii.org
injuryfacts.iii.org
- Reference 5DMVdmv.ca.gov
dmv.ca.gov
- Reference 6DPSdps.texas.gov
dps.texas.gov
- Reference 7FLHSMVflhsmv.gov
flhsmv.gov
- Reference 8MADDmadd.org
madd.org
- Reference 9CDCcdc.gov
cdc.gov
- Reference 10MDTmdt.mt.gov
mdt.mt.gov
- Reference 11IIHSiihs.org
iihs.org
- Reference 12OREGONoregon.gov
oregon.gov
- Reference 13DPSdps.nv.gov
dps.nv.gov
- Reference 14NCBIncbi.nlm.nih.gov
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Reference 15AAAFOUNDATIONaaafoundation.org
aaafoundation.org
- Reference 16RESPONSIBILITYresponsibility.org
responsibility.org
- Reference 17GHSAghsa.org
ghsa.org
- Reference 18WHOwho.int
who.int
- Reference 19NBERnber.org
nber.org






