Driving Under the Influence

Trends

In 2012, the rate of individuals arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs was about 5 in 1,000 people. 

Individuals age 21–24 are arrested for driving under the influence at a consistently higher rate than individuals in other age 

groups. While the rate of individuals arrested for driving under the influence has remained relatively stable for people age 

25–35 and those 45 and older, rates for individuals age 35–44 have declined by 31% from 9 per 1,000 people in 1995 to 6 per 

1,000 in 2012. Similarly, the rate of individuals arrested for driving under the influence has decreased 20% since 1995 and 

nearly 40% since 2006.B

2017 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week Resource Guide: Crime and Victimization Fact Sheets

Driving Under the Influence (DUI) is defined as operating a vehicle while impaired due to alcohol consumption, drug use, 

or both. However, most research concerns driving under the influence of alcohol. Alcohol-related DUIs are determined 

by a person’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC). All 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico define impaired 

driving as a person with a BAC of 0.08 or higher. Overall, the number of alcohol-impaired driving fatalities has declined 

over the past decade. Declines in this area of victimization, changing societal attitudes toward impaired driving, and 

improved responses to victims have been attributed in part to the work of the victim services field—particularly the 

influence of Mothers Against Drunk Driving.A

While the number of fatalities from alcohol-related 

motor-vehicle crashes declined 25% between 

1994 and 2014, the National Highway Traffic Safety 

Administration (NHTSA) estimates that more than 

1/4 million individuals were killed in alcoholrelated motor vehicle crashes over the past decade. 

Nearly 1/4 of all intoxicated drivers involved in fatal 

alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes were also 

under the influence of drugs.C

Did You Know?

Only 1% of drunk driving incidents result in 

an arrest.

D

Drivers age 18–25 are most likely to drive 

under the influence of illicit substances.E

3x as many men are arrested for drunk 

driving as women.

F

74% of accidents involving alcoholimpairment occur at night.G

2/3 of people will be involved in alcoholrelated motor vehicle accidents in their 

lifetime.H

DUI Arrests by AgeB

rate per 1,000 people

1995

1.3

8.8

14.4

12.2

8.4

5.0

1997 1999 2001 2003 2007 2009

25

2005 2011

16.3

10.5

7.7

10.9

4.8

1.2

18–20

21–24

25–34

35–44

45–54

55+

0

5

10

15

20

25

1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011

DUI Arrests by Age, rate per 1,000 people

18 - 20 21 - 24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55+

13.0

9.7

6.1

6.7

4.4

1.2

Fatalities in Motor Vehicle CrashesC

by driver impairment, in thousands of fatalities

1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006

30,000

BAC = 0.00 BAC ≥ 0.08

2008 2010 2012 2014

24.9

27.4

20.9

13.4 13.1

10.0

0

5

10

15

20

25

30
SOURCES

A Nady El-Guebaly, “Don’t Drink and Drive,” World Psychiatry vol 4, 1(2005): 

35-26, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1414720

B H. Snyder and J. Mulako-Wangota, Arrest Data Analysis Tool, https://www.

bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=datool&surl=/arrests/index.cfm

C FARS Encyclopedia, (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1995-

2015), www-fars.nhtsa.dot.gov/Trends/TrendsAlcohol.aspx

D Incidence: CDC, “Alcohol-Impaired Driving Among Adults — United States, 

2012,” MMWR vol 64, 30 (August 2015): 814-17, www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6430a2.htm; Arrest: FBI, 2015 Crime in the United 

States, https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2015/crime-in-the-u.s.-2015/

tables/table-29

E Results from the 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Summary 

of National Findings, (SAMHSA, 2014), www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/

default/files/NSDUHresultsPDFWHTML2013/Web/NSDUHresults2013.htm

F FBI, 2015 Crime in the United States, https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-theu.s/2015/crime-in-the-u.s.-2015/tables/table-33

G Traffic Safety Facts, 2014, (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration), 

https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/812261

H The Economic and Societal Impact Of Motor Vehicle Crashes, 2010, (National 

Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2015), www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/

Pubs/812013.pdf

I “2015 Motor Vehicle Crashes: Overview,” Traffic Safety Facts (National 

Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2016), https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.

gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/812318

J FARS Encyclopedia, Query Tool: 2015, (National Highway Traffic Safety 

Administration), www-fars.nhtsa.dot.gov

Of motor vehicle fatalities, alcohol-impaired driving 

contributes to 32%, 29% are linked to the absence of a 

seatbelt, 29% involve speeding, and 10% involve distracted 

driving.I

In 2015, 66% of driving fatalities were not related to drunk 

driving, 6% involved drivers with a BAC between 0.01 and 

0.07, and 28% involved drivers with a BAC of 0.08 or higher. 

Of drivers with a BAC above the legal limit, 5% had a BAC 

greater than 0.15, 23% were between 0.10 and 0.14, and 72% 

were between 0.08 and 0.09.J

In 2014, alcohol-related crashes accounted for less than 

40% of motor vehicle fatalities. Many people presume 

there are more alcohol-related motor vehicle fatalities on 

holidays as opposed to non-holidays. On New Years Day, 

alcohol-related motor-vehicle crashes accounted for 53% of 

fatalities. Fourth of July and Labor Day saw similar increases. 

However, no significant increase in alcohol-related motor 

vehicle fatalities occurred on Memorial Day, Thanksgiving, or 

Christmas.G

Over 90% of people killed in alcohol-impaired driving 

crashes were one of the drivers or passengers. About 8% of 

fatalities include a motorcyclist or a pedestrian. And 1% of 

fatalities include a bicyclist.J

Current Data on Driving Under the Influence

New Year’s

 Day

40

35 34

41

36

53

75%

Memorial 

Day

Fourth of 

July

Labor

Day

Thanksgiving Christmas

Motor Vehicle Fatalities involving Alcohol ImpairmentG

by holiday

Motor Vehicle Fatalities involving Alcohol ImpairmentJ

by person type

Driver Bicyclist

31

60

8

Passenger Pedestrian Other/

Unknown

1 1

75%

BAC = 0.0 (66%)

BAC 0.01–0.07 (6%)

BAC ≥ 0.08 (28%)

Fatalities in Motor Vehicle Traffic CrashesJ

by driver BAC

0.15+ (5%)

0.10–0.14 (23%)

0.08–0.09 (72%)

2015 Fatalities in Motor Vehicle Traffic Crashes by 

Driver BAC

Zero

.01 - .07

.08+

Fatalities in Motor Vehicle Traffic CrashesI

involving various factors

Alcohol

10

29 29

32

50%

Unrestrained 

passenger

Speeding Distraction