Traffic Safety Facts. Alcohol Data. Alcohol-Related Crashes and Fatalities

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1 Traffic Safety Facts 2005 Data Alcohol There were 16,885 alcohol-related fatalities in percent of the total traffic fatalities for the year. Alcohol-Related Crashes and Fatalities DOT HS A motor vehicle crash is considered to be alcohol-related if at least one driver or nonoccupant (such as a pedestrian or pedalcyclist) involved in the crash is determined to have had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of.01 gram per deciliter (g/dl) or higher. Thus, any fatality that occurs in an alcohol-related crash is considered an alcohol-related fatality. The term alcohol-related does not indicate that a crash or fatality was caused by the presence of alcohol. Traffic fatalities in alcohol-related crashes fell by 0.2 percent, from 16,919 in 2004 to 16,885 in The 16,885 alcohol-related fatalities in 2005 (39% of total traffic fatalities for the year) represent a 5-percent reduction from the 17,732 alcoholrelated fatalities reported in 1995 (42% of the total). The 16,885 fatalities in alcohol-related crashes during 2005 represent an average of one alcohol-related fatality every 31 minutes. In 2005, all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico had by law created a threshold making it illegal per se to drive with a BAC of.08 g/dl or higher. Of the 16,885 people who died in alcohol-related crashes in 2005, 14,539 (86%) were killed in crashes where at least one driver or nonoccupant had a BAC of.08 g/dl or higher. Of the 14,539 people killed in such crashes, 71 percent were drivers or nonoccupants with BAC levels at or above.08 g/dl. The remaining 29 percent were drivers or nonoccupants with either no BAC or BAC below.08 g/dl, or were passengers. Table 1 Fatalities by Person Type in Crashes Involving at Least One Driver or Nonoccupant with BAC.08 g/dl or, 2005 Person Type Drivers with BAC.08 g/dl or 8, All Other Drivers Nonoccupants (Pedestrians and Pedalcyclists) with BAC.08 g/dl or 1, All Other Nonoccupants Passengers 2, Fatalities 14, NHTSA estimates that alcohol was involved in 39 percent of fatal crashes and in 7 percent of all crashes in The national rate of alcohol-related fatalities in motor vehicle crashes in 2005 was 0.57 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled.

2 In 2005, 21 percent of the children age 14 and younger who were killed in motor vehicle crashes were killed in alcoholrelated crashes. Injuries and Arrests An estimated 254,000 persons were injured in crashes where police reported that alcohol was present an average of one person injured approximately every 2 minutes. In 2004, the Federal Bureau of Investigation s Uniform Crime Reporting Program estimated that over 1.4 million drivers were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics. This is an arrest rate of 1 for every 139 licensed drivers in the United States. (2005 data not yet available.) Table 2 Traffic Fatalities by Age and Highest BAC in the Crash, 2005 Age of Highest BAC in Crash Person.00 g/dl g/dl.08 g/dl or.01 g/dl or Killed Killed , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,696 Unknown , , , , ,443 Table 3 Fatal Crashes Involving at Least One Driver or Nonoccupant with BAC.08 g/dl or and Fatalities in Those Crashes, 1995 and g/dl or *.08 g/dl or * Recorded Crashes 37,241 13, ,189 13, DWI Convictions 41,817 15, ,443 14, *For any person (occupant or nonoccupant) involved in the fatal crash. Children In 2005, 21 percent of the children age 14 and younger who were killed in motor vehicle crashes were killed in alcohol-related crashes. In 2005, a total of 414 (21%) of the fatalities among children age 14 and younger occurred in crashes involving alcohol. Of those 414 fatalities, more than half (224) of those killed were passengers in vehicles with drivers who had been drinking, with BAC levels of.01 g/dl or higher. An additional 96 children were killed as passengers in vehicles with drivers who had not been drinking. Another 48 children age 14 and younger who were killed in traffic crashes in 2005 were pedestrians or pedalcyclists who were struck by drivers with BAC.01 g/dl or higher.

3 Nonoccupants More than one-third (34%) of all pedestrians age 16 and older killed in traffic crashes in 2005 had BAC levels.08 g/dl or higher. By age group, the percentages ranged from a low of 9 percent for pedestrians age 65 and older to a high of 46 percent for those age 21 to 24. Table 4 Nonoccupants With BAC.08 g/dl or Killed in Motor Vehicle Crashes by Age Group, 1995 and BAC.08 g/dl or BAC.08 g/dl or Nonoccupant Fatalities of of Fatalities Fatalities Pedestrian Fatalities by Age Group (Years) < , , , Unknown ,584 1, ,881 1, Pedalcyclist Fatalities < Unknown *Includes pedestrians age 15 and younger and pedestrians of unknown age. Alcohol involvement either for the driver or for the pedestrian was reported in nearly one half (44 percent) of the traffic crashes that resulted in pedestrian fatalities. Of the pedestrians involved, 32 percent had a BAC of.08 g/dl or higher. Of the drivers involved in fatal crashes, only 11 percent had a BAC of.08 g/dl or higher, less than one-half the rate for the pedestrians. In 5 percent of the crashes, both the driver and the pedestrian had a BAC of.08 g/dl or higher. Time of Day and Day of Week The rate of alcohol involvement in fatal crashes is more than 3 times higher at night as during the day (59% versus 18%). For all crashes, the alcohol involvement rate is 5 times higher at night (16% versus 3%). More than one-third of all pedestrians age 16 and older killed in traffic crashes in 2005 had BAC levels of.08 g/dl or higher. In 2005, 30 percent of all fatal crashes during the week were alcohol-related, compared to 52 percent on weekends. For all crashes, the alcohol involvement rate was 5 percent during the week and 12 percent during the weekend. For more information:

4 age of Drivers with BAC.08 g/dl or Killed in Motor Vehicle Crashes by Time of Day and Day of Week, 1995 and 2005 The highest percentage of drivers in fatal crashes who had BAC levels of.08 g/dl or higher was for drivers ages 21 to 24. Driver Fatalities of Fatalities Driver Fatalities Change in age BAC.08 g/dl or BAC.08 g/dl or with BAC.08 g.dl of or Fatalities ,390 8, ,472 8, Driver Fatalities by Crash Type and Time of Day Single-Vehicle Crash 11,708 5, ,816 6, Daytime* 4,349 1, ,480 1, Nighttime** 7,076 4, ,095 4, Multiple Vehicle Crash 12,682 2, ,656 2, Daytime* 7, , Nighttime** 4,694 1, ,036 1, Driver Fatalities by Day of Week Weekday*** 14,373 3, ,262 3, Weekend**** 9,936 4, ,138 4, Driver Fatalities by Time of Day Daytime * 12,329 1, ,092 1, Nighttime** 11,770 6, ,131 6, Driver Fatalities by Day of Week and Time of Day Weekday*** Daytime* 9,019 1, ,087 1, Nighttime** 5,270 2, ,102 2, Weekend**** Daytime* 3, , Nighttime** 6,499 3, ,029 3, *6 a.m. to 6 p.m. **6 p.m. to 6 a.m. ***Monday 6 a.m. to Friday 6 p.m. ****Friday 6 p.m. to Monday 6 a.m. Figure 1 Drivers Involved in Fatal Crashes with BAC Levels.08 g/dl or by Age Group, 2005 age of Drivers with BAC.08 g/dl or 35% 32% 30% 28% 25% 23% 20% 15% 10% 5% 9% 16% 19% 12% 7% 4% 0% < Age Groups (Years)

5 Table 6 Drivers in Fatal Crashes with BAC.08 g/dl or by Age, Gender, and Vehicle Type, 1994 and 2004 of Drivers Drivers BAC.08 g/dl or of Drivers BAC.08 g/dl or Change in age with BAC.08 g/dl or, ,164 12, ,104 11, Drivers by Age Group (Years) ,725 1, ,293 1, ,263 1, ,548 2, ,048 3, ,378 3, ,677 2, ,733 2, ,815 1, ,403 1, , , , , , , Drivers by Sex Male 41,235 10, ,060 9, Female 14,184 1, ,974 1, Drivers by Vehicle Type Passenger Cars 30,773 6, ,908 5, Light Trucks 17,483 4, ,757 4, Large Trucks 4, , Motorcycles 2, ,652 1, *s shown for groups of drivers do not add to the total number of drivers due to unknown or other data not included. The percentage of drivers with BAC.08 g/dl or above in fatal crashes was highest for motorcycle operators. Drivers In fatal crashes in 2005, the highest percentage of drivers with BAC levels.08 g/dl or higher was for drivers ages (32%), followed by ages (28%) and (23%). The percentages of drivers with BAC levels.08 g/dl or higher in fatal crashes in 2005 were 27 percent for motorcycle operators, 22 percent for passenger cars, and 21 percent for light trucks. The percentage of drivers with BAC levels.08 g/dl or higher in fatal crashes was the lowest for large trucks (1%). Safety belts were used by only 28 percent of fatally injured drivers with BAC levels.08 g/dl or higher, compared to 44 percent of fatally injured with BAC levels between.01 g/dl and.07 g/dl and 56 percent of fatally injured drivers with no alcohol (BAC =.00 g/dl). Drivers with BAC levels.08 g/dl or higher involved in fatal crashes were 9 times more likely to have a prior conviction for driving while impaired (DWI) than were drivers with no alcohol (BAC =.00 g/dl) (9% and 1%, respectively). In 2005, 85 percent (11,921) of the 14,068 drivers with BAC.01 g/dl or higher who were involved in fatal crashes had BAC levels at or above.08 g/dl, and 52 percent (7,330) had BAC levels at or above.16 g/dl. The most frequently recorded BAC level among drinking drivers involved in fatal crashes was.17 g/dl.

6 Figure 2 Previous Driving Records of Drivers Involved in Fatal Crashes, by Blood Alcohol Concentration, 2005 In 2005, more than half (52%) of the drivers involved in fatal crashes who had been drinking had BAC.16 or above. BAC.00 BAC.01 to.07 1% 5% 9% 14% 19% 16% 24% Driving Records: Recorded Crashes DWI Convictions Speeding Convictions Recorded Suspensions or Revocations 20% 16% BAC.08 or 9% 23% 25% Information on speeding involvement in traffic fatalities is available from the National Center for Statistics and Analysis, NPO-121, 400 Seventh Street SW., Washington, DC NCSA information can also be obtained by telephone or by fax-on-demand at Fax messages should be sent to General information on highway traffic safety can be accessed by Internet users To report a safety-related problem or to inquire about motor vehicle safety information, contact the Vehicle Safety Hotline at Other fact sheets available from the National Center for Statistics and Analysis are Overview, Bicyclists and Other Cyclists (formerly titled Pedalcyclists), Children, Large Trucks, Motorcycles, Occupant Protection, Older Population, Pedestrians, School Transportation-Related Crashes, Speeding, State Alcohol Estimates, State Traffic Data, and Young Drivers. Detailed data on motor vehicle traffic crashes are published annually in Traffic Safety Facts: A Compilation of Motor Vehicle Crash Data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System and the General Estimates System. The fact sheets and annual Traffic Safety Facts report can be accessed online at gov/people/ncsa. Table 5 Figure 3 Distribution of BAC Levels for Drivers Involved in Fatal Crashes with BAC.01 or of Drivers BAC Level

7 Table 7 Traffic Fatalities by State and Highest Blood Alcohol Concentration in the Crash, 2005 No Alcohol (BAC.00 g/dl) Low Alcohol (BAC g/dl) High Alcohol (BAC >=.08+ g/dl) Very High Alcohol (BAC >=.16 g/dl) Any Alcohol (BAC >=.01+ g/dl) State Fatalities Alabama 1, Alaska Arizona 1, Arkansas California 4,329 2, , , Colorado Connecticut Delaware Dist of Columbia Florida 3,543 2, , , Georgia 1,729 1, Hawaii Idaho Illinois 1, Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan 1, Minnesota Mississippi Missouri 1, Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York 1, North Carolina 1, North Dakota Ohio 1, Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania 1, Rhode Island South Carolina 1, South Dakota Tennessee 1, Texas 3,504 1, , , Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming U.S. 43,443 26, , , , , Puerto Rico Note: ages are calculated from unrounded data. s may not equal sum of components due to independent rounding. Table 8

8 Traffic Fatalities by State and Highest Driver Blood Alcohol Concentration in the Crash, 2005 No Alcohol (BAC.00 g/dl) Low Alcohol (BAC g/dl) High Alcohol (BAC >=.08+ g/dl) Very High Alcohol (BAC >=.16 g/dl) Any Alcohol (BAC >=.01+ g/dl) State Fatalities Alabama 1, Alaska Arizona 1, Arkansas California 4,322 2, , , Colorado Connecticut Delaware Dist of Columbia Florida 3,535 2, , , Georgia 1,728 1, Hawaii Idaho Illinois 1, Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan 1, Minnesota Mississippi Missouri 1, Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York 1, North Carolina 1,529 1, North Dakota Ohio 1, Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania 1,613 1, Rhode Island South Carolina 1, South Dakota Tennessee 1, Texas 3,498 2, , , Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming U.S. 43,341 28, , , , , Puerto Rico Note: ages are calculated from unrounded data. s may not equal sum of components due to independent rounding.