According to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there are an average of 36,373 fatal crashes annually in the United States.
NHTSA looked at fatal collisions involving one or more drivers over the legal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit of 0.08%, and states with the highest percentage of fatal collisions due to drunk driving from 2018 to 2022.
Florida has the seventh fewest collisions due to drunk driving at 15.03%, and that makes it one of the safest states for drunk driving.
Mississippi has seen the fewest fatal collisions due to drunk driving. Between 2018 and 2022, there were 3,200 fatal crashes in the state, and 9.97% of these involved people driving over the legal alcohol limit, which is 50.17% below the national average.
Arizona is the second safest state for drivers. According to the study, 10.55% of fatal crashes involved drunk drivers, which is 47.2% below the national benchmark. This is out of 5,034 reported collisions that took place between 2018 and 2022.
New York ranks third, with 12.68% of collisions being due to drunk driving, followed by Georgia in fourth, with 12.75%. Indiana is the fifth safest state for drivers, according to the study, with 13% of fatal crashes being caused by alcohol impairment.
The Worst States for Drunk Driving
Montana came in at number one with the highest rate of drunk-driving-related car accidents in the United States at 33.41%. New Hampshire was number two for 565 fatal crashes from 2018 to 2022. According to NHTSA, 30.09% of these were due to one or more drivers having BAC levels of 0.08 g/dL and above. In total, this is 50.3% above the national benchmark.
In third place is Rhode Island. The research shows that drivers in the state are 44.9% more likely to be involved in a fatal collision due to drunk driving. As such, 29.27% of 287 fatal collisions occurred because of this.
North Dakota follows in fourth place. Out of the state’s 460 fatal collisions, 27.83% of fatal crashes involved drunk drivers between 2018 and 2022. This is 44.9% above the national average.
In fifth place, with 581 fatal collisions taking place between 2018 and 2022, is South Dakota. The research shows that 26.51% of fatal crashes involve drunk drivers, which is 32.8% above the national average.
“This research sheds light on the critical disparities in drunk-driving fatalities across the nation. Montana, for instance, highlights the urgent need for more robust enforcement and education, while Mississippi’s lower rates of fatal collisions demonstrate that progress is achievable,” said RT Law, (https://rtrlaw.com/car-accidents/) who helped facilitate the drunk driving information.
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