Impaired Driving
According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), about 37 people in the United States die in drunk-driving crashes - that's one person every 39 minutes.
Some groups are at greater risk for an alcohol-related crash:
- Young People: Among drivers involved in fatal crashes in 2020, the percentage of drivers who were impaired by alcohol was highest among drives 21 - 24 years old and 25 -34 years old (CDC, 2024).
- Teen Drivers and Passengers: Drinking any amount of alcohol before driving increases crash rick among teen drivers. Teen drivers have a much higher risk for being involved in a crash than older drivers at the same blood alcohol concentration (BAC), even at BAC levels below the legal limit for adults ages 21 years or older (CDC, 2024).
- Drivers with Prior Driving While Impaired (DWI) Convictions: The percentage of drivers with prior DWI convictions was four times higher among alcohol-impaired drivers involved in fatal crashes than among drivers with no alcohol in their system in 2020 (CDC, 2024).
Occurrence & Consequences
- There were 140 people killed in alcohol-impaired crashes in Connecticut in 2022 (CTDOT, 2O25)
- About 32% of all traffic crash fatalities in the United States involve drunk drivers (with BACs of 0.08 g/dL or higher). On average over the 10-year period from 2013-2022, about 11,000 people died every year in drunk-driving crashes. (NHTSA, 2025).
- 56% of drivers involved in serious injury and fatal crashes tested positive for at least one drug (NHTSA, 2025).
- Drugs other than alcohol (e.g., marijuana and cocaine) have been identified
Cost
The annual estimated cost of crash deaths involving alcohol- impaired drivers totaled about $123.3 billion in 2020. These costs include medical costs and cost estimates for lives lost (CDC, 2025).
Prevention Strategies
Effective measures to prevent injuries and deaths from impaired driving include:
- Actively implementing and enforcing lower BAC limits. These laws are effective for reducing crashes involving alcohol-impaired drivers and deaths from these crashes. Connecticut has a BAC limit of 0.08 g/dL..
- Maintaining minimum legal drinking ages laws and zero tolerance laws for drivers younger than 21 in all states.
- Implementing publicized sobriety checkpoints and high-visibility saturation patrols.
- Requiring alcohol ignition interlocks for all people convicted of alcohol-impaired driving, including first-time offenders.
- Additionally, incorporating alcohol use disorder assessment and treatment into interlock programs shows promise in reducing repeat offenses event after interlocks are removed.
Source: Center for Disease Control (CDC) - National Center for Injury Prevention and Control
Research & Data
Videos
Trainings
Effects of Cannabis on Driving and Road Safety (Co-occurring Collaborative Serving Maine) Research Into Action Webinar: Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol, Cannabis, and Delta-8 THC (CADCA) - Trends in Impaired Driving Toxicology Best Practices (Governors Highway Safety Association)
Webinar on Drunk Driving Prevention Technology (MADD) - Working with Victims of Impaired Driving (Office for Victims of Crime)