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Drinking

and Driving

US adults drank too much and got behind the 

wheel about 112 million times in 2010. Though 

episodes of driving after drinking too much 

(“drinking and driving”) have gone down 

by 30% during the past 5 years, it remains a 

serious problem in the US. Alcohol-impaired 

drivers* are involved in about 1 in 3 crash 

deaths, resulting in nearly 11,000 deaths

in 2009. 

Driving drunk is never OK. Choose not to 

drink and drive and help others do the same.

Learn what you can do to prevent

alcohol-impaired driving. 

See page 4

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85% of drinking and 

driving episodes were 

reported by binge drinkers.

Four in 5 people who 

drink and drive are men.

112M

Adults reported drinking and 

driving about 112 million 

times in 2010.

85%

4 in 5

A Threat to Everyone

*These drivers had blood alcohol concentrations of at least 

0.08%. This is the illegal blood alcohol concentration level for 

adult drivers in the United States.

October 2011

National Center for Injury Prevention and Control 

Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention
Problem

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People who drink and

drive put everyone on the

road in danger

Certain groups are more likely to drink 

and drive than others. 

◊ Men were responsible for 4 in 5 episodes (81%) 

of drinking and driving in 2010. 

◊ Young men ages 21-34 made up only 11% of 

the US adult population in 2010, yet were 

responsible for 32% of all instances of drinking 

and driving.

◊ 85% of drinking and driving episodes were 

reported by people who also reported binge 

drinking. Binge drinking means 5 or more 

drinks for men or 4 or more drinks for women 

during a short period of time.

There are proven ways to prevent people 

from drinking and driving. 

◊ At sobriety checkpoints, police stop drivers to 

judge if they are driving under the influence 

of alcohol. More widespread, frequent use of 

these checkpoints could save about 1,500 to 

3,000 lives on the road each year. 

◊ Minimum legal drinking age laws prohibit 

selling alcohol to people under age 21 in all 50 

states and the District of Columbia. Keeping 

and enforcing 21 as the minimum legal 

drinking age helps keep young, inexperienced 

drivers from drinking and driving. 

◊ Ignition interlocks prevent drivers who were 

convicted of alcohol-impaired driving from 

operating their vehicles if they have been 

drinking. Interlocks are effective in reducing 

re-arrest rates from drinking and driving by 

about two-thirds while the device is on

the vehicle. The 4 million adults who 

drink and drive each year put 

everyone on the road at risk.

SOURCE: CDC Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 

US 2010

Your best defense against a 

drunk driver is to buckle up 

every time.

● Every person in every seat should 

be buckled up on every trip. Seat 

belts reduce serious injuries and 

deaths from crashes by about 50%.

● Primary enforcement seat belt laws 

allow police to stop vehicles just 

because someone is not wearing 

a seat belt. These state laws are 

effective in increasing seat belt use.
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• Serious difficulty controlling the car and focusing on driving

• Markedly slowed reaction time 

• Difficulty staying in lane and braking when needed

• Trouble controlling speed 

• Difficulty processing information and reasoning

• Reduced coordination and ability to track moving objects

• Difficulty steering 

• Loss of judgment

• Trouble doing two tasks at the same time .02%

.05%

.08%

.10%

.15%

Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) Levels

About 2 beers

About 3 beers

About 4 beers

About 5 beers

About 7 beers

Male

Female

21–24

Years

25–34

Years

18–20

Years

35–54

Years

55 Years

or Older

12%

88%

75%

16%

84%

25%

79%

21%

16%

84%

2006 2008 2010

161

Million

131

Million

112

MIllion

Self-reported annual drinking and driving episodes 

Drinking and driving episodes by gender and age, 2010

Some likely effects on driving

SOURCE: CDC Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, US 2006, 2008 and 2010

SOURCE: CDC Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, US 2010

Adapted from The ABCs of BAC, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2005, and How to Control 

Your Drinking, WR Miller and RF Munoz, University of New Mexico, 1982.

The number of beers 

listed represents the 

approximate amount 

of alcohol that a 

160-pound man would 

need to drink in one 

hour to reach the listed 

BAC in each category. 
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For more information, please contact 

Telephone: 1-800-CDC-INFO (232-4636)

TTY: 1-888-232-6348

E-mail: cdcinfo@cdc.gov

Web: www.cdc.gov

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

1600 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30333

Publication date: 10/04/2011

What Can Be Done

States can

◊ Enforce 0.08% blood alcohol concentration 

and minimum legal drinking age laws.

◊ Expand the use of sobriety checkpoints. 

◊ Require ignition interlocks for everyone 

convicted of drinking and driving, starting with 

their first offense. 

◊ Consider including strategies to reduce binge 

drinking—such as increasing alcohol taxes—to 

reduce drinking and driving, since the two 

behaviors are linked.

◊ Pass primary enforcement seat belt laws that 

cover everyone in the car. 

Employers can

◊ Set policies that immediately take away 

all work-related driving privileges for any 

employee cited for drinking and driving while 

using a company or personal vehicle for work 

purposes.

◊ Use workplace health promotion programs 

to communicate the dangers of drinking and 

driving, including information directed to 

family members.

Health professionals can

◊ Help patients realize that car crashes are the 

leading cause of death for everyone ages 5-34 

and that 1 in 3 crash deaths involves a

drunk driver.

◊ Routinely screen patients for risky drinking 

patterns, including binge drinking, and 

provide a brief intervention—a 10–15 minute 

counseling session—for patients who

screen positive.

Everyone can

◊ Choose not to drink and drive and help others 

do the same. 

• Before drinking, designate a nondrinking 

driver when with a group. 

• If out drinking, get a ride home or

call a taxi.

• Don’t let friends drink and drive. 

◊ Choose not to binge drink themselves and help 

others not to do it. 

◊ Talk with a doctor or nurse about drinking and 

driving and request counseling if drinking is 

causing health, work, or social problems.

◊ Buckle up every time, no matter how short the 

trip. Encourage passengers in the car to buckle 

up, including those in the back seat. 

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