National Institute on Alcohol 

Abuse and Alcoholism

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism 

Division of Epidemiology and Prevention Research 

Alcohol Epidemiologic Data System 

SURVEILLANCE REPORT #76 

TRENDS IN ALCOHOL-RELATED FATAL 

TRAFFIC CRASHES, UNITED STATES, 1982–2004 

Hsiao-ye Yi, Ph.D. 

Chiung M. Chen, M.A. 

Gerald D. Williams, D.Ed. 

CSR, Incorporated1 

Suite 1000 

2107 Wilson Boulevard 

Arlington, VA 22201 

August 2006 

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 

Public Health Service 

National Institutes of Health 

1 CSR, Incorporated, operates the Alcohol Epidemiologic Data System (AEDS)
 

under Contract No. N01AA32007 for the Division of Epidemiology and Prevention
 

Research, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). 
 

Dr. Rosalind A. Breslow serves as NIAAA Project Officer on the contract and
 

oversaw the preparation of this report.
 
HIGHLIGHTS 

This is the 21st annual surveillance report from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse 

and Alcoholism (NIAAA) on trends in alcohol-related fatal traffic crashes. Data in this series 

of reports are compiled by the Alcohol Epidemiologic Data System (AEDS) from sources 

provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Federal Highway 

Administration (FHA), and the U.S. Census Bureau. 

Beginning with the current report, AEDS implemented major methodological changes in 

determining alcohol involvement of fatal traffic crashes. This includes using imputed data on 

blood alcohol concentration (BAC) for drivers who were not tested for BAC or whose test 

results are unknown. The imputed BAC data are provided by NHTSA for 1982 and later 

years. In order to present consistent trend data, AEDS recalculated all historical numbers with 

the imputed BAC data and excluded data before 1982 from this report. As a result, the proportion 

of alcohol-related traffic crash fatalities as well as the proportion of drivers’ alcohol involvement 

in these crashes increased substantially from data presented in the previous issues of this 

report. Details of the methodological changes are discussed under the “Methods” section on 

Page 2. The following are highlights from the current report with the latest data for 2004: 

Alcohol-Related Traffic Crash Fatalities 

•	 In 2004, about 16,919 persons died in alcohol-related traffic crashes, which constituted 

39.5 percent of the total traffic crash fatalities. 

•	 The number of alcohol-involved drivers in fatal traffic crashes was 11,838 for male drivers 

and 2,286 for female drivers. These numbers represent about 28.0 and 14.9 percent of 

the total male and female drivers involved in fatal traffic crashes, respectively. 

•	 Alcohol-related traffic crash fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, 100,000 

registered vehicles, 100,000 licensed drivers, and 100,000 population, were 0.57, 6.96, 

8.51, and 5.76, respectively. 

•	 The proportion of alcohol-related traffic fatalities varied across States, ranging from 25.5 

percent (Utah) to 52.2 percent (Rhode Island). 

Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) Testing and Results 

•	 In 2004, the BAC testing rate for drivers killed in traffic crashes for the nation as a whole 

was 74.3 percent. The rate varied widely across States, ranging from 37.6 percent (Iowa) 

to 99.6 percent (North Carolina). The BAC testing rate generally remained low for 

surviving drivers (31.2 percent for the nation as a whole). 

•	 The percentage distribution of BAC values peaked at 0.10–0.14 grams per deciliter (g/dl) 

for drivers under age 21 and at 0.15–0.19 g/dl for all other age groups. 

•	 About 78 percent of drivers with positive BAC results had BAC scores of 0.10 g/dl or higher 

at the time of their crashes. If the legal BAC limit were lowered to 0.08 in all States, a total 

of 85 percent of the BAC-positive drivers would have been considered legally intoxicated. 

Young Drinking Drivers 

•	 In 2004, about 22.5 percent of young drivers under age 21 in fatal traffic crashes were involved 

with alcohol, which is slightly lower than that for drivers ages 21 and older (24.8 percent). 

•	 Young drivers ages 21 to 24 continued to have the highest proportion (39.1 percent) of 

alcohol involvement among drivers in all age groups. 

Trends in Alcohol-Related Fatal Traffic Crashes 

•	 The proportion of alcohol-related traffic fatalities declined from 59.6 percent in 1982 to 

39.5 percent in 2004. 

•	 Drivers’ alcohol-involvement in fatal traffic crashes declined from 40.7 to 24.5 percent 

between 1982 and 2004. The decline was greater for drivers under age 21 (from 43.7 to 

22.5 percent) than for drivers ages 21 and older (from 39.9 to 24.8 percent). 

•	 The BAC testing rate increased from 65.0 to 74.3 percent for drivers killed in fatal traffic 

crashes during 1982–2004. For surviving drivers, the rate increased from 22.0 to 31.2 percent. 

•	 One of the Healthy People 2010 objectives is to reduce alcohol-related motor vehicle 

crash deaths to 4.8 per 100,000 population. To achieve this goal, the rate must decrease 

by 17 percent from 2005 through 2010. 

1
 
INTRODUCTION
 

This 21st issue of the surveillance report on 1

alcohol-related fatal traffic crashes is one in a 

series of surveillance reports prepared by 

NIAAA’s Alcohol Epidemiologic Data System 

(AEDS). These reports are designed to provide 

useful data to researchers, planners, policymakers, 

and other professionals interested in alcohol 

abuse and its associated illnesses and mortality. 

The 2004 mortality statistics show that 

“accidents (unintentional injuries)” were the 

number one cause of death for persons in the 

age groups of 1 to 4, 5 to 14, 15 to 24, and 25 

to 44 in the United States; motor vehicle 

accident fatalities represented 39, 62, 72, and 

47 percent of the deaths in this category for the 

four age groups, respectively. Overall, this 

category was the fifth leading cause of death in 

the United States in 2004; 40 percent of these 

deaths were due to motor vehicle accidents 

(Miniño, Heron, and Smith 2006). From 1982 

through 2004 more than 40,000 people per 

year died in traffic crashes. 

The Surgeon General’s Workshop on Drunk 

Driving (Office of the Surgeon General 1989) 

emphasized the need for accurate and timely 

epidemiologic data to address the Nation’s 

drinking and driving problem. Data in this 

report are focused on general trends in alcoholrelated traffic fatalities, BAC testing rates and 

results, and young drinking drivers involved in 

fatal traffic crashes. 

DATA 

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s 

Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) is 

the major data source for this report. FARS 

contains data on all traffic crashes within the 

United States involving a motor vehicle 

traveling on a trafficway customarily open to 

the public and resulting in the death of a 

vehicle occupant or nonmotorist within 30 

1 The terms “alcohol-related” and “alcohol-involved” 

are used interchangeably throughout this report. 

days of the crash. The system is operated by 

NHTSA in cooperation with each State. FARS 

collects detailed data on the conditions of a 

crash, the vehicle(s) involved, and the driver(s) 

and other person(s) involved. These data are 

obtained from each State’s existing documents 

(e.g., police accident reports, death certificates, 

and hospital medical records). 

Denominators used in calculating fatality 

rates are taken from the following sources: 

•	 Resident population estimates as of July 1 

of each year—provided by the U.S. Census 

Bureau (2000, 2002, 2006). 

•	 Numbers of registered vehicles, licensed 

drivers, and vehicle miles traveled— 

provided in the Highway Statistics series 

compiled annually by FHA (1983–2005). 

METHODS 

Determination of Alcohol Involvement 

Beginning with this issue, AEDS 

implemented two major methodological 

changes in determining alcohol involvement of 

fatal traffic crashes. 

1. Using imputed data on blood alcohol 

concentration (BAC) for drivers who were 

not tested for BAC or whose test results 

are unknown. The imputed BAC data are 

generated by NHTSA for 1982 and later 

years using the multiple imputation method 

(see NHTSA 2002 for detail). In contrast, 

in previous issues of this report the 

determination of alcohol involvement was 

only based on known BAC test results or 

police officers’ judgment. 

2. Including nonoccupants’ alcohol 

involvement in the definition of alcoholrelated traffic crashes. With this change, a 

crash is considered as alcohol-related if 

either a driver or a nonoccupant 

(pedestrian or pedalcyclist) had a BAC of 

0.01 g/dl or greater. In previous issues of 

this report, only drivers’ alcohol 

involvement was used to define alcoholrelated crashes. 

2 
As a result of these changes, the estimated 

alcohol-related traffic crash fatalities as well 

as the number of alcohol-involved drivers 

increased substantially from data presented in 

previous issues of this report. For instance, 

compared with the earlier estimates for alcoholrelated traffic fatalities, the new estimates 

increased by 20 to 40 percent for different 

years during 1982–2004. 

In order to present consistent trend data, 

AEDS recalculated all historical numbers with 

these methodological changes and excluded 

data before 1982 from this report. 

Fatality Measures 

In this report, a fatality is considered to be 

alcohol-related if the death occurs as the result 

of an alcohol-related crash. Frequencies and 

percentage distributions of total and/or 

alcohol-related crash fatalities are calculated 

according to sex, age group, role in the crash 

(i.e., driver, passenger, or nonoccupant), and 

State, and presented in graphic and tabular 

form. In addition, the report includes rates 

based on associated risk factors. 

The probability of having or being involved 

in a traffic crash depends on several factors 

(e.g., the amount of time a person spends on 

the road, the number of miles driven, vehicle 

speed, or type of vehicle driven). Four 

associated “risk factors”—vehicle miles 

traveled (VMT), the number of people in the 

population, the number of registered vehicles, 

and the number of licensed drivers—are used 

to express traffic crash fatalities as rates per 

these denominators. These rates place the raw 

frequencies within a context of associated risk 

factors, each of which is subject to change 

over time. 

Finally, years of potential life lost (YPLL) 

are used to measure premature deaths due to 

traffic crashes. In this issue of the report, 

YPLL is calculated by subtracting the age at 

death from age 75 for each death (for decedents 

under age 75 only) and then accumulating the 

total across all deaths. This is a change from 

previous issues of this report, where YPLL 

was presented for persons under age 65. This 

change follows the change made in recent 

editions of the Health, United States series 

published by NCHS (2005), as the average life 

expectancy in the United States is over 75 years. 

Trend data presentation 

Most data are presented for all years from 

1982 to the latest data year. For more detailed 

distributions (e.g., by State or detailed age 

groups), data are presented for only two years, 

1998 and the latest data year. This is an effort 

to make the comparisons more relevant to 

observing current trends, as 1998 was used as 

the baseline year by Healthy People 2010 

(CDC, 2006) for setting the target for reducing 

alcohol-related traffic fatalities. 

Limitations 

Although multiple imputation is an advanced 

methodology for missing data imputation, the 

imputed BAC values are subject to estimation 

errors. It is possible to calculate standard 

errors (or confidence intervals) for each 

estimate based on the multiply-imputed data 

(ten sets of values) for cases with missing 

BAC values. However, these data are not 

included in the report as the standard errors are 

generally small (e.g., less than 1 percent of the 

estimates for the total proportion of alcoholinvolved fatal crashes), and presenting them 

would be overwhelming to most readers. 

Therefore readers are cautioned when making 

interpretations for small differences. 

REFERENCES 

Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Data 

2010: The Healthy People 2010 Database (http:// 

wonder.cdc.gov/data2010/, accessed August 2006) 

Federal Highway Administration (FHA). Highway 

Statistics series 1982–2004. Washington, DC: 

Department of Transportation, 1983–2005. 

Miniño, A.M.; Heron, M.P.; and Smith, B.L. Deaths: 

Preliminary data for 2004. National Vital Statistics 

Reports 54(19). Hyattsville, Maryland: National 

Center for Health Statistics, 2006. 

National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). Health, 

United States, 2005, With Chartbook on Trends in 

Health of Americans. Hyattsville, Maryland: 2005. 

3
 
National Highway Transportation Safety Administration 

(NHTSA). Transitioning to Multiple Imputation—A 

New Method to Impute Missing Blood Alcohol 

Concentration (BAC) Values in FARS. NHTSA 

Technical Report, DOT HS 809 403. Washington, 

DC: Department of Transportation, 2002. 

Office of the Surgeon General. Surgeon General’s 

Workshop on Drunk Driving. Proceedings. 

Washington, DC: December 14–16, 1988. U.S. 

Department of Health and Human Services, 1989. 

U.S. Census Bureau. U.S. Population Estimates by Age, 

Sex, Race, and Hispanic Origin: 1980 to 1999. 

Release date: April 11, 2000. 

U.S. Census Bureau. Intercensal Estimates of the United 

States Resident Population by Age Groups and Sex, 

1990–2000: Selected Month (US-EST90INT-07). 

Release date: September 13, 2002. 

U.S. Census Bureau. Annual Estimates of the 

Population by Sex and Five-Year Age Groups for the 

United States: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2005 (NCEST2005-01). Release Date: May 10, 2006. 

4
 
List of Figures 

Figure 1 

Page 

Alcohol-related and nonalcohol-related traffic crash fatalities, 

United States, 1982–2004 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 

Figure 2a Total and alcohol-related traffic fatality rates per 100 million vehicle 

miles traveled (VMT), United States, 1982–2004 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 

Figure 2b Total and alcohol-related traffic fatality rates per 100,000 registered 

vehicles, United States, 1982–2004 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 

Figure 2c Total and alcohol-related traffic fatality rates per 100,000 licensed 

drivers, United States, 1982–2004 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 

Figure 2d Total and alcohol-related traffic fatality rates per 100,000 population, 

United States, 1982–2004 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 

Figure 3a Decedent’s role in nonalcohol-related traffic fatalities, 

United States, 2004 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 

Figure 3b Decedent’s role in alcohol-related traffic fatalities, 

United States, 2004 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 

Figure 4 Percentage of drivers involved in fatal traffic crashes and given BAC tests, 

according to injury severity, United States, 1982–2004 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 

Figure 5 Percentage distributions of BAC among alcohol-involved drivers, 

according to age, United States, 2004 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 

Figure 6 Percentage of alcohol involvement among drivers in fatal traffic 

crashes, according to age, United States, 1998 and 2004 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 

Figure 7 Percentage of alcohol involvement among young drivers under age 21 

and drivers ages 21 and older in fatal traffic crashes, 

United States, 1982–2004 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 

5
 
List of Tables 

Table 1 

Page 

Traffic crashes, traffic crash fatalities, and alcohol-related traffic crash 

fatalities, United States, 1982–2004 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 

Table 2 Total and alcohol-related traffic fatality rates per 100 million vehicle 

miles traveled and 100,000 registered vehicles, licensed drivers, 

and population, United States, 1982–2004 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 

Table 3 Years of potential life lost (YPLL) from total and alcohol-related traffic 

crashes, according to sex, United States, 1982–2004 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 

Table 4 Alcohol-related traffic crash fatalities, according to age, United States, 

1982–2004 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 

Table 5 Total and alcohol-related traffic crash fatalities according to decedent’s 

role, United States, 1982–2004 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 

Table 6 Total and alcohol-related traffic fatalities according to State, 

United States, 1998 and 2004 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 

Table 7 Drivers involved in fatal traffic crashes, according to sex and alcohol 

involvement, United States, 1982–2004 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 

Table 8 Drivers involved in fatal traffic crashes and given blood alcohol 

concentration (BAC) tests, according to injury severity, United States, 

1982–2004 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 

Table 9 Drivers involved in fatal traffic crashes and given blood alcohol 

concentration (BAC) tests, according to State and injury severity, 

United States, 1998 and 2004 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 

Table 10 Drivers involved in fatal traffic crashes and given blood alcohol 

concentration (BAC) tests, according to sex, age, and injury severity, 

United States, 1998 and 2004 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 

Table 11 Percentage distributions of blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level 

among alcohol-involved drivers, according to sex and age, United States, 

1998 and 2004 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 

Table 12 Driver’s alcohol involvement in fatal traffic crashes, according to 

sex and age, United States, 1998 and 2004 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 

Table 13. Alcohol involvement among young drivers under age 21 and drivers 

ages 21 and older in fatal traffic crashes, United States, 1982–2004 . . . . . . . . . .26 

6
 
Figure 1. Alcohol-related and nonalcohol-related traffic crash fatalities, United States, 1982–2004. 

7
 
Figure 2a. Total and alcohol-related traffic fatality rates per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (VMT), 

United States, 1982–2004. 

Figure 2b. Total and alcohol-related traffic fatality rates per 100,000 registered vehicles, 
 

United States, 1982–2004.
 

8
 
Figure 2c. Total and alcohol-related traffic fatality rates per 100,000 licensed drivers, 

United States, 1982–2004. 

Figure 2d. Total and alcohol-related traffic fatality rates per 100,000 population, 

United States, 1982–2004. 

9
 
Figure 3a. Decedent’s role in nonalcohol-related traffic fatalities, United States, 2004. 

Note: 45 decedents were excluded from this pie chart because their roles were unknown. 

Figure 3b. Decedent’s role in alcohol-related traffic fatalities, United States, 2004. 

Note: 33 decedents were excluded from this pie chart because their roles were unknown. 

10
 
Figure 4. Percentage of drivers involved in fatal traffic crashes and given BAC tests, 

according to injury severity, United States, 1982–2004. 

Figure 5. Percentage distributions of BAC among alcohol-involved drivers, according to age, 

United States, 2004. 

11 
Figure 6. Percentage of alcohol involvement among drivers in fatal traffic crashes, 

according to age, United States, 1998 and 2004. 

Figure 7. Percentage of alcohol involvement among young drivers under age 21 and 

drivers ages 21 and older in fatal traffic crashes, United States, 1982–2004. 

12
 
1 

Table 1. Traffic crashes, traffic crash fatalities, and alcohol-related traffic crash fatalities1, United States, 1982–2004. 

Year 

Event 

Traffic crashes Traffic crash fatalities 

(a) 

Alcohol-related traffic 

crash fatalities 

(b) 

Percent alcoholrelated traffic crash 

fatalities 

(b/a) 

2004 ................................ 

2003 ................................ 

2002 ................................ 

2001 ................................ 

2000 ................................ 

1999 ................................ 

1998 ................................ 

1997 ................................ 

1996 ................................ 

1995 ................................ 

1994 ................................ 

1993 ................................ 

1992 ................................ 

1991 ................................ 

1990 ................................ 

1989 ................................ 

1988 ................................ 

1987 ................................ 

1986 ................................ 

1985 ................................ 

1984 ................................ 

1983 ................................ 

1982 ................................ 

38,444 

38,477 

38,491 

37,862 

37,526 

37,140 

37,107 

37,324 

37,494 

37,241 

36,254 

35,780 

34,942 

36,937 

39,836 

40,741 

42,130 

41,438 

41,090 

39,195 

39,631 

37,976 

39,092 

42,836 

42,884 

43,005 

42,196 

41,945 

41,717 

41,501 

42,013 

42,065 

41,817 

40,716 

40,150 

39,250 

41,508 

44,599 

45,582 

47,087 

46,390 

46,087 

43,825 

44,257 

42,589 

43,945 

16,919 

17,105 

17,524 

17,400 

17,380 

16,572 

16,673 

16,711 

17,749 

17,732 

17,308 

17,908 

18,290 

20,159 

22,587 

22,423 

23,833 

24,093 

25,017 

23,166 

24,761 

24,634 

26,172 

39.5 

39.9 

40.7 

41.2 

41.4 

39.7 

40.2 

39.8 

42.2 

42.4 

42.5 

44.6 

46.6 

48.6 

50.6 

49.2 

50.6 

51.9 

54.3 

52.9 

55.9 

57.8 

59.6 

 A crash is considered as alcohol-related if either a driver or a nonoccupant (pedestrian or pedalcyclist) had a blood alcohol 

concentration (BAC) of 0.01 g/dl or greater. When alcohol tests were not done or test results are unknown, imputed BAC data 

provided by NHTSA are used (see page 2 for more information). 

13
 
Table 2. Total and alcohol-related1

 traffic fatality rates per 100 million vehicle miles traveled and 100,000 registered vehicles, 

 licensed drivers, and population, United States, 1982–2004. 

Year 

Rate 

Per 100 million vehicle 

miles traveled 

Per 100,000 registered 

vehicles 2 

Per 100,000 licensed 

drivers 

Per 100,000 population 

All fatalities 

2004..................................... 

2003..................................... 

2002..................................... 

2001..................................... 

2000..................................... 

1999..................................... 

1998..................................... 

1997..................................... 

1996..................................... 

1995..................................... 

1994..................................... 

1993..................................... 

1992..................................... 

1991..................................... 

1990..................................... 

1989..................................... 

1988..................................... 

1987..................................... 

1986..................................... 

1985..................................... 

1984..................................... 

1983..................................... 

1982..................................... 

Percent change 

1998–2004 

Alcohol-related fatalities 

2004..................................... 

2003..................................... 

2002..................................... 

2001..................................... 

2000..................................... 

1999..................................... 

1998..................................... 

1997..................................... 

1996..................................... 

1995..................................... 

1994..................................... 

1993..................................... 

1992..................................... 

1991..................................... 

1990..................................... 

1989..................................... 

1988..................................... 

1987..................................... 

1986..................................... 

1985..................................... 

1984..................................... 

1983..................................... 

1982..................................... 

Percent change 

1998–2004 

1.45 

1.48 

1.51 

1.52 

1.53 

1.55 

1.58 

1.64 

1.69 

1.73 

1.73 

1.75 

1.75 

1.91 

2.08 

2.17 

2.32 

2.41 

2.51 

2.47 

2.58 

2.58 

2.76 

-8.5 

0.57 

0.59 

0.61 

0.63 

0.63 

0.62 

0.64 

0.65 

0.72 

0.73 

0.73 

0.78 

0.81 

0.93 

1.05 

1.07 

1.18 

1.25 

1.36 

1.31 

1.44 

1.49 

1.64 

-10.1 

17.63 

18.11 

18.33 

17.93 

18.57 

18.92 

19.26 

19.86 

20.01 

20.37 

20.18 

20.28 

20.19 

21.58 

23.12 

23.78 

24.92 

25.22 

25.40 

24.74 

25.73 

25.13 

26.59 

-8.5 

6.96 

7.22 

7.47 

7.39 

7.70 

7.52 

7.74 

7.90 

8.44 

8.64 

8.58 

9.05 

9.41 

10.48 

11.71 

11.70 

12.61 

13.10 

13.79 

13.08 

14.40 

14.54 

15.84 

-10.0 

21.54 

21.86 

22.09 

22.06 

22.00 

22.29 

22.44 

22.99 

23.43 

23.68 

23.21 

23.19 

22.67 

24.56 

26.70 

27.53 

28.91 

28.67 

28.90 

27.94 

28.48 

27.62 

29.24 

-4.0 

8.51 

8.72 

9.00 

9.10 

9.12 

8.85 

9.01 

9.15 

9.89 

10.04 

9.87 

10.34 

10.56 

11.93 

13.52 

13.54 

14.63 

14.89 

15.69 

14.77 

15.93 

15.97 

17.41 

-5.6 

14.59 

14.74 

14.93 

14.80 

14.86 

14.95 

15.04 

15.41 

15.61 

15.70 

15.47 

15.45 

15.30 

16.41 

17.87 

18.47 

19.26 

19.15 

19.19 

18.42 

18.77 

18.22 

18.97 

-3.0 

5.76 

5.88 

6.09 

6.10 

6.16 

5.94 

6.04 

6.13 

6.59 

6.66 

6.58 

6.89 

7.13 

7.97 

9.05 

9.08 

9.75 

9.94 

10.42 

9.74 

10.50 

10.54 

11.30 

-4.7 

1

 A crash is considered as alcohol-related if either a driver or a nonoccupant (pedestrian or pedalcyclist) had a blood alcohol 

concentration (BAC) of 0.01 g/dl or greater. When alcohol tests were not done or test results are unknown, imputed BAC data 

provided by NHTSA are used (see page 2 for more information). 

2

 Including all private, commercial, and public-owned motor vehicles and motorcycles. 

14 
Table 3. Years of potential life lost (YPLL) from total and alcohol-related1

 traffic crashes, according to sex, 
 

United States, 1982–2004. 
 

Year and sex 

YPLL2 

Percent alcoholrelated All traffic crash deaths Alcohol-related traffic crash deaths 4

Years Mean Rate 3 Years Mean Rate 3 

Male 

2004 ................. 

2003 ................. 

2002 ................. 

2001 ................. 

2000 ................. 

1999 ................. 

1998 ................. 

1997 ................. 

1996 ................. 

1995 ................. 

1994 ................. 

1993 ................. 

1992 ................. 

1991 ................. 

1990 ................. 

1989 ................. 

1988 ................. 

1987 ................. 

1986 ................. 

1985 ................. 

1984 ................. 

1983 ................. 

1982 ................. 

Female 

2004 ................. 

2003 ................. 

2002 ................. 

2001 ................. 

2000 ................. 

1999 ................. 

1998 ................. 

1997 ................. 

1996 ................. 

1995 ................. 

1994 ................. 

1993 ................. 

1992 ................. 

1991 ................. 

1990 ................. 

1989 ................. 

1988 ................. 

1987 ................. 

1986 ................. 

1985 ................. 

1984 ................. 

1983 ................. 

1982 .................

 1,067,378 39.2 

 1,065,228 39.3 

 1,080,090 39.6 

 1,062,540 39.8 

 1,048,579 39.9 

 1,023,390 39.8 

 1,010,688 40.0 

 1,021,737 40.1 

 1,050,459 40.7 

 1,063,371 40.9 

 1,041,418 41.2 

 1,043,050 41.5 

 1,029,149 41.4 

 1,118,314 42.1 

 1,225,017 42.3 

 1,242,051 42.3 

 1,326,922 42.9 

 1,328,317 43.1 

 1,352,883 43.7 

 1,263,890 43.3 

 1,294,317 43.4 

 1,260,533 43.6 

 1,326,370 43.8 

 452,139 38.7 

 450,376 38.5 

 453,595 38.5 

 440,561 38.6 

 451,515 38.8 

 460,141 38.8 

 458,923 38.3 

 475,251 38.9 

 477,276 39.1 

 466,363 39.3 

 455,346 39.4 

 440,190 39.6 

 429,336 39.4 

 457,205 40.1 

 483,551 39.9 

 512,704 40.4 

 515,657 40.9 

 507,111 41.1 

 487,963 41.1 

 473,535 40.8 

 472,466 41.2 

 455,675 41.4 

 461,377 41.9 

775 

781 

800 

795 

792 

782 

782 

800 

832 

852 

844 

855 

855 

943 

1,046 

1,073 

1,157 

1,168 

1,200 

1,132 

1,169 

1,148 

1,219 

328 

329 

335 

328 

339 

349 

352 

368 

373 

369 

364 

356 

351 

378 

405 

434 

440 

436 

422 

413 

415 

403 

411 

510,657 40.2 371 

523,348 40.3 384 

541,815 40.8 401 

534,691 40.8 400 

528,282 40.8 399 

508,976 40.8 389 

503,735 40.9 390 

506,056 41.1 396 

542,295 41.3 429 

547,366 41.4 438 

538,021 42.0 436 

563,031 42.1 462 

575,758 42.1 478 

654,174 43.0 551 

735,820 43.2 628 

726,636 43.0 628 

785,356 43.7 685 

792,134 43.7 697 

844,321 44.3 749 

768,893 44.0 689 

824,385 44.1 745 

829,203 44.4 755 

883,927 44.4 812 

150,859 40.9 109 

147,590 40.9 108 

152,262 40.7 112 

153,619 41.0 114 

157,894 40.9 119 

150,269 41.5 114 

157,100 41.3 120 

158,418 41.3 123 

169,353 41.7 133 

168,538 42.0 133 

167,277 42.3 134 

167,158 42.5 135 

172,686 42.4 141 

188,409 43.0 156 

210,278 42.8 176 

213,603 43.1 181 

229,413 43.7 196 

235,254 44.0 202 

233,630 44.3 202 

217,647 43.3 190 

237,213 44.0 208 

234,734 44.1 208 

249,009 44.6 222 

47.8 

49.1 

50.2 

50.3 

50.4 

49.7 

49.8 

49.5 

51.6 

51.5 

51.7 

54.0 

55.9 

58.5 

60.1 

58.5 

59.2 

59.6 

62.4 

60.8 

63.7 

65.8 

66.6 

33.4 

32.8 

33.6 

34.9 

35.0 

32.7 

34.2 

33.3 

35.5 

36.1 

36.7 

38.0 

40.2 

41.2 

43.5 

41.7 

44.5 

46.4 

47.9 

46.0 

50.2 

51.5 

54.0 

1

 A crash is considered as alcohol-related if either a driver or a nonoccupant (pedestrian or pedalcyclist) had a blood alcohol 

concentration (BAC) of 0.01 g/dl or greater. When alcohol tests were not done or test results are unknown, imputed BAC data 

provided by NHTSA are used (see page 2 for more information). 

2

 Calculations excluded decedents with unknown age or sex. 3

 Number of YPLL per 100,000 population under age 75. 

4

 Number of alcohol-related YPLL expressed as a percentage of total YPLL. 

15 
Table 4. Alcohol-related traffic crash1 fatalities, according to age, United States, 1982–2004. 

16 
 

Year 

Age 

Under 16 16–24 25–44 45–64 Over 64 Unkn

Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number 

2004........................ 572 10.4 4,666 25.5 6,839 31.5 3,754 20.5 1,029 10.2 58 2003........................ 553 10.6 4,714 25.2 7,145 31.8 3,658 20.1 991 10.3 43 

2002........................ 559 10.3 4,921 26.0 7,440 32.0 3,557 19.1 987 10.3 60 

2001........................ 592 10.6 4,778 25.7 7,522 32.6 3,424 18.3 1,019 10.4 66 2000........................ 608 10.9 4,674 25.3 7,621 32.9 3,342 18.3 1,071 10.3 64 1999........................ 662 11.3 4,418 25.2 7,388 32.9 3,014 17.6 1,051 10.9 39 1998........................ 653 11.5 4,383 24.8 7,482 33.2 3,009 17.4 1,103 11.1 42 1997........................ 672 11.6 4,289 24.6 7,687 33.6 2,885 16.9 1,130 11.0 48 1996........................ 728 11.8 4,679 25.6 8,191 33.7 2,901 15.9 1,184 10.6 65 1995........................ 744 11.8 4,612 25.5 8,388 34.1 2,840 15.6 1,107 10.7 41 1994........................ 811 11.8 4,735 26.2 7,923 33.8 2,641 15.1 1,159 10.8 38 1993........................ 787 11.6 4,897 25.9 8,369 34.4 2,650 14.7 1,122 10.6 83 1992........................ 777 11.7 5,082 26.3 8,542 34.6 2,627 14.5 1,203 10.3 58 1991........................ 787 11.1 6,199 27.5 9,250 35.1 2,646 13.7 1,210 9.8 67 

1990........................ 953 11.0 6,796 27.7 10,398 35.5 3,045 13.8 1,324 9.3 70 

1989........................ 924 10.8 6,851 28.5 10,187 34.8 3,073 13.9 1,320 9.2 67 1988........................ 1,033 10.8 8,011 30.1 10,304 34.1 3,026 13.4 1,369 9.0 91 1987........................ 1,084 10.8 8,027 30.3 10,432 34.2 3,083 13.1 1,386 8.6 80 1986........................ 1,143 10.5 8,955 31.7 10,310 33.5 3,069 12.7 1,385 8.4 155 1985........................ 1,031 10.4 8,183 31.3 9,416 33.4 3,071 13.4 1,294 8.2 171 

1984........................ 1,103 10.3 9,142 32.2 9,729 33.0 3,214 13.5 1,428 8.1 145 

1983........................ 1,128 10.3 9,156 32.7 9,640 32.8 3,248 13.6 1,348 7.9 115 

1982........................ 1,268 10.0 9,976 34.1 9,881 32.4 3,449 13.3 1,440 7.6 158 

1 A crash is considered as alcohol-related if either a driver or a nonoccupant (pedestrian or pedalcyclist) had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0

alcohol tests were not done or test results are unknown, imputed BAC data provided by NHTSA are used (see page 2 for more information). 
Table 5. Total and alcohol-related1 traffic crash fatalities according to decedent’s role, United States, 1982–2004. 

Decedent's role 

Year 

Driver Passenger Nonoccupant Unknown 

Total 

Alcohol-related 

Total 

 Alcohol-related Alcohol-related 

Total Total 

Alcohol-rela

fatalities Number Percent fatalities Number Percent fatalities Number Percent fatalities Number Per

2004 ................ 26,871 10,635 39.6 10,355 3,708 35.8 5,532 2,543 46.0 78 33 42

2003 ................ 26,779 10,863 40.6 10,458 3,641 34.8 5,543 2,561 46.2 104 40 38

2002 ................ 26,659 10,998 41.3 10,604 3,903 36.8 5,630 2,571 45.7 112 53 47

2001 ................ 25,869 10,745 41.5 10,469 3,908 37.3 5,756 2,693 46.8 102 54 52

2000 ................ 25,567 10,697 41.8 10,695 4,092 38.3 5,597 2,547 45.5 86 44 51

1999 ................ 25,257 10,229 40.5 10,521 3,682 35.0 5,842 2,614 44.7 97 48 49

1998 ................ 24,743 10,096 40.8 10,530 3,746 35.6 6,119 2,777 45.4 109 53 48

1997 ................ 24,667 10,143 41.1 10,944 3,859 35.3 6,288 2,660 42.3 114 49 42

1996 ................ 24,534 10,557 43.0 11,058 4,225 38.2 6,368 2,919 45.8 105 48 45

1995 ................ 24,390 10,745 44.1 10,782 3,988 37.0 6,526 2,936 45.0 119 63 53

1994 ................ 23,691 10,373 43.8 10,518 4,011 38.1 6,398 2,870 44.9 109 54 49

1993 ................ 23,142 10,722 46.3 10,361 4,101 39.6 6,576 3,051 46.4 71 34 48

17 

1992 ................ 22,584 10,929 48.4 10,211 4,324 42.3 6,370 2,989 46.9 85 49 57

1991 ................ 23,930 12,102 50.6 10,688 4,744 44.4 6,768 3,241 47.9 122 72 581990 ................ 25,750 13,454 52.2 11,276 5,426 48.1 7,465 3,634 48.7 108 73 671989 ................ 26,389 13,663 51.8 11,624 5,124 44.1 7,495 3,595 48.0 74 42 561988 ................ 27,253 14,464 53.1 11,805 5,585 47.3 7,917 3,719 47.0 112 64 561987 ................ 26,833 14,527 54.1 11,623 5,667 48.8 7,825 3,838 49.1 109 61 561986 ................ 26,630 15,059 56.5 11,498 5,910 51.4 7,853 3,972 50.6 106 76 721985 ................ 25,337 13,958 55.1 10,619 5,259 49.5 7,782 3,896 50.1 87 54 621984 ................ 25,589 14,872 58.1 10,586 5,629 53.2 7,973 4,185 52.5 109 76 691983 ................ 24,138 14,572 60.4 10,595 5,814 54.9 7,746 4,173 53.9 110 76 681982 ................ 24,690 15,385 62.3 10,867 6,086 56.0 8,299 4,642 55.9 89 60 67

 A crash is considered as alcohol-related if either a driver or a nonoccupant (pedestrian or pedalcyclist) had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0

alcohol tests were not done or test results are unknown, imputed BAC data provided by NHTSA are used (see page 2 for more information). 

1 
Table 6. Total and alcohol-related1

 traffic fatalities according to State, United States, 1998 and 2004. 

State 

1998 2004 

Total fatalities 

Alcohol-related 

Total fatalities 

Alcohol-related 

Number Percent Number Percent 

Total............................. 

Alabama ...................... 

Alaska.......................... 

Arizona ........................ 

Arkansas ..................... 

California ..................... 

Colorado ...................... 

Connecticut.................. 

Delaware ..................... 

District of Columbia...... 

Florida.......................... 

Georgia........................ 

Hawaii.......................... 

Idaho............................ 

Illinois........................... 

Indiana......................... 

Iowa ............................. 

Kansas......................... 

Kentucky...................... 

Louisiana ..................... 

Maine........................... 

Maryland...................... 

Massachusetts............. 

Michigan ...................... 

Minnesota .................... 

Mississippi ................... 

Missouri ....................... 

Montana....................... 

Nebraska ..................... 

Nevada ........................ 

New Hampshire ........... 

New Jersey.................. 

New Mexico ................. 

New York ..................... 

North Carolina.............. 

North Dakota................ 

Ohio ............................. 

Oklahoma .................... 

Oregon......................... 

Pennsylvania ............... 

Rhode Island ............... 

South Carolina............. 

South Dakota............... 

Tennessee................... 

Texas........................... 

Utah ............................. 

Vermont ....................... 

Virginia......................... 

Washington.................. 

West Virginia................ 

Wisconsin .................... 

Wyoming...................... 

41,501 16,673 40.2 

1,071 442 41.3 

70 31 44.4 

980 444 45.3 

625 216 34.6 

3,494 1,367 39.1 

628 244 38.8 

329 144 43.6 

115 47 40.4 

54 31 56.7 

2,825 1,039 36.8 

1,568 528 33.7 

120 59 49.2 

265 100 37.7 

1,393 619 44.4 

982 405 41.3 

449 163 36.3 

492 165 33.6 

858 306 35.6 

926 443 47.8 

192 55 28.5 

606 223 36.8 

406 184 45.4 

1,366 552 40.4 

650 285 43.8 

948 356 37.6 

1,169 513 43.9 

237 105 44.4 

315 120 38.2 

361 176 48.6 

128 63 48.9 

741 267 36.0 

424 195 46.1 

1,514 451 29.8 

1,596 581 36.4 

92 46 50.0 

1,422 531 37.3 

755 267 35.4 

538 233 43.3 

1,481 642 43.3 

74 36 49.2 

1,002 372 37.2 

165 68 41.2 

1,216 513 42.2 

3,586 1,745 48.7 

350 65 18.5 

104 40 38.0 

935 359 38.4 

662 313 47.3 

354 150 42.3 

714 304 42.5 

154 71 46.1 

42,836 16,918 39.5 

1,154 432 37.4 

101 31 30.6 

1,151 446 38.8 

703 264 37.5 

4,120 1,667 40.5 

667 264 39.7 

294 131 44.6 

134 51 38.0 

43 19 43.3 

3,244 1,244 38.3 

1,634 536 32.8 

142 64 45.2 

260 92 35.6 

1,355 613 45.2 

947 304 32.1 

388 111 28.6 

459 139 30.3 

964 307 31.8 

927 424 45.8 

194 70 35.8 

643 286 44.4 

476 207 43.5 

1,159 431 37.2 

567 191 33.7 

900 352 39.1 

1,130 460 40.7 

229 105 46.0 

254 92 36.3 

395 154 39.0 

171 59 34.5 

723 270 37.3 

521 213 40.9 

1,495 594 39.8 

1,573 549 34.9 

100 39 39.2 

1,286 492 38.3 

774 282 36.4 

456 204 44.7 

1,490 616 41.3 

83 43 52.2 

1,046 463 44.3 

197 83 42.3 

1,339 542 40.5 

3,699 1,704 46.1 

296 75 25.5 

98 32 33.0 

922 363 39.4 

567 247 43.5 

410 142 34.6 

792 358 45.2 

164 59 36.2 

 A crash is considered as alcohol-related if either a driver or a nonoccupant (pedestrian or pedalcyclist) had a blood alcohol 

concentration (BAC) of 0.01 g/dl or greater. When alcohol tests were not done or test results are unknown, imputed BAC data 

provided by NHTSA are used (see page 2 for more information). 

18 

1 
Table 7. Drivers involved in fatal traffic crashes, according to sex and alcohol involvement1, United States, 1982–2004

19 
 

Year 

Sex 

Male Female Unknown 

Alcohol-involved Alcohol-involved Alcohol-involved 

All All All A

Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent 

2004.................... 42,250 11,838 28.0 15,384 2,286 14.9 761 160 21.0 58,2003.................... 42,586 11,979 28.1 15,211 2,174 14.3 720 177 24.6 58,2002.................... 42,377 12,335 29.1 14,999 2,232 14.9 737 159 21.6 58,2001.................... 41,901 12,059 28.8 14,919 2,303 15.4 766 292 38.1 57,2000.................... 41,795 12,070 28.9 14,790 2,402 16.2 695 164 23.7 57,21999.................... 41,012 11,399 27.8 14,835 2,115 14.3 655 130 19.8 56,1998.................... 40,816 11,345 27.8 15,089 2,262 15.0 699 233 33.4 56,1997.................... 40,954 11,381 27.8 14,954 2,215 14.8 780 163 20.9 56,1996.................... 41,376 12,142 29.3 14,850 2,382 16.0 775 185 23.9 57,1995.................... 41,235 12,178 29.5 14,184 2,255 15.9 745 256 34.4 56,1994.................... 40,233 12,105 30.1 13,567 2,279 16.8 749 222 29.6 54,1993.................... 39,556 12,471 31.5 13,082 2,178 16.7 763 242 31.7 53,41992.................... 38,598 12,873 33.4 12,596 2,297 18.2 707 146 20.6 51,1991.................... 40,731 14,350 35.2 12,825 2,434 19.0 835 312 37.4 54,1990.................... 44,281 16,408 37.1 13,726 2,740 20.0 886 305 34.4 58,1989.................... 45,448 16,037 35.3 14,054 2,696 19.2 933 264 28.3 60,41988.................... 47,402 17,446 36.8 13,951 2,799 20.1 900 320 35.6 62,21987.................... 46,884 17,518 37.4 13,614 2,909 21.4 944 391 41.4 61,41986.................... 46,653 18,459 39.6 12,744 2,774 21.8 938 494 52.7 60,1985.................... 44,846 17,001 37.9 12,142 2,679 22.1 895 323 36.0 57,1984.................... 44,723 18,417 41.2 11,907 2,921 24.5 882 331 37.5 57,1983.................... 42,812 18,374 42.9 10,958 2,737 25.0 886 470 53.1 54,1982.................... 44,370 19,478 43.9 10,675 2,854 26.7 984 496 50.4 56,1 When alcohol tests were not done or test results are unknown, imputed BAC data provided by NHTSA are used (see page 2 for more information). 
Table 8. Drivers involved in fatal traffic crashes and given blood alcohol concentration (BAC) tests, 

according to injury severity, United States, 1982–2004. 

Year 

Drivers given BAC tests 

Dead Alive All 

Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent 

2004 .................................... 19,969 74.3 9,637 31.2 29,638 50.8 

2003 .................................... 20,138 75.2 9,354 30.0 29,517 50.4 

2002 .................................... 20,163 75.6 9,733 31.5 29,916 51.5 

2001 .................................... 19,814 76.6 9,826 31.6 29,667 51.5 

2000 .................................... 18,958 74.2 9,912 31.8 28,888 50.4 

1999 .................................... 18,681 74.0 9,437 30.7 28,139 49.8 

1998 .................................... 18,192 73.5 9,436 30.2 27,647 48.8 

1997 .................................... 18,111 73.4 9,520 30.3 27,644 48.8 

1996 .................................... 18,297 74.6 9,375 29.5 27,695 48.6 

1995 .................................... 18,635 76.4 9,235 29.6 27,890 49.7 

1994 .................................... 17,964 75.8 8,588 28.4 26,576 48.7 

1993 .................................... 17,696 76.5 8,462 28.5 26,172 49.0 

1992 .................................... 17,660 78.2 8,170 28.4 25,851 49.8 

1991 .................................... 18,769 78.4 8,493 28.4 27,284 50.2 

1990 .................................... 20,322 78.9 9,455 29.1 29,811 50.6 

1989 .................................... 20,972 79.5 9,145 27.4 30,138 49.9 

1988 .................................... 21,347 78.3 8,916 25.8 30,289 48.7 

1987 .................................... 20,873 77.8 8,894 26.0 29,775 48.5 

1986 .................................... 20,575 77.3 8,733 26.4 29,321 48.6 

1985 .................................... 19,324 76.3 8,347 26.1 27,686 47.8 

1984 .................................... 18,451 72.1 7,295 23.2 25,759 44.8 

1983 .................................... 16,257 67.4 6,750 22.5 23,023 42.1 

1982 .................................... 16,050 65.0 6,765 22.0 22,837 40.8 

20
 
Table 9. Drivers involved in fatal traffic crashes and given blood alcohol concentration (BAC) tests, according to State and injury severity, Unite

21 
 

State 

Drivers given BAC tests 

1998 2004 

Dead Alive All Dead Alive 

Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number P

Total.................................... Alabama ............................. Alaska................................. Arizona ............................... Arkansas............................. California ............................ Colorado ............................. Connecticut......................... Delaware ............................ District of Columbia ............ Florida................................. Georgia............................... Hawaii................................. Idaho................................... Illinois.................................. Indiana................................ Iowa .................................... Kansas................................ Kentucky............................. Louisiana ............................ Maine.................................. Maryland............................. Massachusetts.................... Michigan ............................. Minnesota........................... Mississippi .......................... Missouri .............................. Montana.............................. Nebraska ............................ Nevada ............................... New Hampshire .................. 

18,192 73.5 

455 62.7 

17 43.6 

358 75.7 

280 70.4 

1,578 92.4 

318 85.9 

200 90.9 

65 82.3 

8 33.3 

926 59.7 

836 83.6 

68 95.8 

94 58.8 

742 89.3 

407 61.6 

168 57.9 

229 68.4 

383 67.7 

443 81.3 

114 89.8 

312 93.4 

200 88.5 

672 80.8 

370 91.8 

407 64.3 

553 75.5 

123 79.9 

169 88.0 

156 82.5 

76 84.4 

9,436 30.2 

232 32.0 

31 70.5 

107 14.2 

176 40.6 

738 25.8 

155 33.3 

64 28.1 

45 50.0 

22 45.8 

479 19.1 

898 77.5 

33 31.1 

61 37.2 

183 16.6 

421 59.6 

129 36.9 

136 41.7 

233 37.8 

497 70.9 

73 57.9 

93 17.9 

3 0.9 

435 37.8 

289 60.1 

353 57.1 

86 10.5 

88 73.9 

154 74.4 

112 38.8 

34 43.0 

27,647 

687 

48 

467 

456 

2,318 

473 

264 

110 

30 

1,406 

1,735 

101 

155 

925 

831 

297 

365 

618 

940 

187 

405 

203 

1,107 

659 

760 

639 

212 

323 

268 

110 

48.8 

47.1 

56.5 

36.9 

54.8 

49.1 

56.0 

58.3 

64.7 

39.0 

34.3 

79.6 

57.1 

47.8 

47.8 

60.5 

46.2 

55.1 

52.0 

74.5 

73.9 

46.9 

36.4 

55.1 

74.0 

60.8 

40.9 

77.4 

81.0 

56.1 

64.7 

19,969 74.3 

342 42.9 

29 40.3 

387 63.5 

365 77.3 

2,081 90.7 

274 68.5 

124 61.4 

59 71.1 

21 84.0 

1,225 64.1 

625 58.7 

73 98.6 

132 80.0 

756 89.6 

481 74.9 

96 37.6 

165 53.2 

401 59.5 

499 85.4 

120 87.0 

334 85.9 

201 68.8 

509 71.5 

337 86.6 

286 43.9 

623 82.6 

139 86.9 

150 87.7 

181 78.7 

115 97.5 

9,637 

210 

36 

111 

241 

767 

100 

49 

36 

15 

616 

368 

59 

60 

236 

511 

101 

146 

197 

500 

85 

95 

9 

393 

273 

107 

191 

68 

137 

106 

28 
Table 9. Drivers involved in fatal traffic crashes and given blood alcohol concentration (BAC) tests, according to State and injury severity, Unite

(Continued) 

22 
 

State 

Drivers given BAC tests 

1998 2004 

Dead Alive All Dead Alive 

Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number P

New Jersey......................... New Mexico........................ New York ............................ North Carolina .................... North Dakota ...................... Ohio .................................... Oklahoma ........................... Oregon................................ Pennsylvania ...................... Rhode Island ...................... South Carolina.................... South Dakota...................... Tennessee.......................... Texas.................................. Utah .................................... Vermont .............................. Virginia................................ Washington......................... West Virginia ...................... Wisconsin ........................... Wyoming............................. 

337 83.6 

182 85.0 

375 48.7 

710 72.4 

40 72.7 

648 70.4 

307 63.8 

282 91.9 

779 81.8 

42 97.7 

235 36.8 

91 86.7 

614 73.9 

1,206 57.9 

97 54.5 

49 84.5 

418 70.5 

364 91.7 

204 89.9 

402 88.9 

83 86.5 

203 33.8 

47 16.8 

41 3.2 

7 0.6 

12 22.6 

330 31.7 

20 4.0 

189 46.7 

225 20.9 

10 18.9 

57 8.0 

74 69.2 

422 49.0 

878 32.9 

133 51.2 

24 36.9 

14 2.2 

96 19.0 

59 24.9 

201 40.3 

34 44.7 

542 

229 

416 

718 

52 

978 

327 

471 

1,005 

52 

292 

165 

1,036 

2,085 

231 

73 

432 

461 

263 

603 

117 

52.9 

45.1 

20.2 

32.5 

47.7 

49.6 

33.2 

65.9 

49.2 

54.2 

21.6 

77.8 

61.0 

42.9 

52.1 

59.3 

35.3 

50.8 

56.4 

62.9 

68.0 

363 85.4 

261 94.2 

433 52.2 

1,012 99.6 

62 82.7 

761 88.5 

412 84.9 

269 95.1 

919 91.9 

47 85.5 

607 86.6 

107 82.9 

680 73.6 

1,284 58.5 

115 66.5 

63 95.5 

313 51.7 

306 86.4 

247 88.2 

502 90.3 

76 75.2 

205 

103 

63 

107 

9 

417 

94 

114 

288 

3 

590 

75 

454 

728 

114 

28 

23 

95 

44 

199 

33 
Table 10. Drivers involved in fatal traffic crashes and given blood alcohol concentration (BAC) tests, according to sex, age, and injury severity, Un

23 
 

Sex and age 

Drivers given BAC tests 

1998 2004 

Dead Alive All Dead Alive 

Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number P

Both sexes 

Under 21......................... 2,649 75.3 1,634 35.6 4,288 52.8 2,824 75.3 1,576 21–24.............................. 1,947 79.3 1,172 37.3 3,122 55.6 2,419 79.5 1,340 25–34.............................. 3,756 78.7 2,304 32.4 6,065 50.9 3,868 79.6 2,128 35–44.............................. 3,525 77.5 2,020 30.3 5,546 49.3 3,488 78.5 1,957 45+ ................................. 6,306 66.8 2,296 24.5 8,605 45.6 7,361 68.4 2,608 Total 1 18,192 73.5 9,436 30.2 27,647 48.8 19,969 74.3 9,637 

Male 2 

Under 21......................... 1,949 76.4 1,233 38.5 3,185 55.2 2,042 75.7 1,168 21–24.............................. 1,599 81.0 945 40.5 2,546 58.9 1,951 79.8 1,058 25–34.............................. 2,886 80.3 1,836 35.4 4,726 53.7 3,033 80.1 1,653 35–44.............................. 2,594 78.9 1,600 32.2 4,195 50.7 2,705 79.5 1,507 45+ ................................. 4,496 68.4 1,860 26.9 6,358 47.0 5,405 69.8 2,053 Total1 13,533 75.2 7,479 33.0 21,024 51.5 15,143 75.4 7,444 

Female 2 

Under 21......................... 700 72.3 401 28.9 1,103 46.7 782 74.2 408 21–24.............................. 348 72.3 227 28.1 576 44.6 468 78.0 282 25–34.............................. 870 73.8 468 24.3 1,339 42.9 834 78.0 475 35–44.............................. 931 74.0 420 24.6 1,351 45.5 783 75.4 450 45+ ................................. 1,810 63.2 435 17.7 2,246 42.1 1,956 64.9 555 Total1 4,659 69.0 1,952 23.5 6,616 43.8 4,825 71.2 2,170 

1 Including drivers whose age is unknown. 2 Because of missing data on sex, the sum of the male and female drivers may not always equal the number for both sexes in a corresponding categ
Table 11. Percentage distributions of blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level among alcohol-involved drivers1

, 

according to sex and age, United States, 1998 and 2004. 

Sex, year, and age 

BAC level2 

0.01–.04 0.05–.07 0.08–.09 0.10–.14 0.15–.19 0.20–.24 0.25–.29 0.30+ 

Both Sexes 

2004 

Under 21 ............. 

21–24.................. 

25–34.................. 

35–44.................. 

45+...................... 

Total3 

1998 

Under 21 ............. 

21–24.................. 

25–34.................. 

35–44.................. 

45+...................... 

Total3 

Male 

2004 

Under 21 ............. 

21–24.................. 

25–34.................. 

35–44.................. 

45+...................... 

Total3 

1998 

Under 21 ............. 

21–24.................. 

25–34.................. 

35–44.................. 

45+...................... 

Total3 

Female 

2004 

Under 21 ............. 

21–24.................. 

25–34.................. 

35–44.................. 

45+...................... 

Total3 

1998 

Under 21 ............. 

21–24.................. 

25–34.................. 

35–44.................. 

45+...................... 

Total3 

10.6 10.6 9.5 26.9 21.4 13.8 5.2 1.9 

7.7 7.9 6.8 24.1 24.7 17.3 8.1 3.4 

7.1 7.1 6.3 21.5 25.2 19.2 9.0 4.7 

6.8 5.7 6.2 19.4 23.0 20.1 11.5 7.3 

8.7 7.9 6.5 19.7 22.1 17.7 10.8 6.5 

7.9 7.6 6.9 21.9 23.4 17.9 9.3 5.1 

12.3 12.6 9.6 26.2 21.6 11.7 4.1 1.9 

6.6 8.8 7.3 25.4 26.4 15.9 6.9 2.7 

7.2 7.3 6.4 20.9 25.4 17.8 10.0 5.0 

6.9 6.5 5.4 18.1 23.4 19.0 12.8 7.8 

10.9 7.2 6.3 18.0 21.7 17.3 10.8 7.8 

8.4 8.1 6.8 21.2 23.9 16.8 9.5 5.5 

10.3 9.9 9.0 26.6 22.2 14.8 5.3 1.9 

7.4 7.7 7.0 24.1 25.1 17.2 8.0 3.4 

6.9 6.9 6.3 21.6 25.4 19.3 8.9 4.7 

6.8 5.5 6.0 19.9 22.9 20.0 11.5 7.4 

8.3 7.9 6.5 19.5 21.8 18.2 11.4 6.5 

7.7 7.4 6.8 21.9 23.6 18.2 9.4 5.1 

12.3 12.1 9.9 26.7 21.2 11.6 4.1 2.1 

6.2 8.7 7.3 25.2 26.6 16.3 7.0 2.7 

7.0 7.0 6.3 21.0 25.8 17.7 10.2 5.2 

6.5 6.0 5.5 18.1 24.0 19.2 12.8 8.0 

10.3 6.8 6.1 17.6 21.6 18.0 11.2 8.3 

8.1 7.7 6.7 21.1 24.1 17.0 9.6 5.6 

12.3 14.1 11.7 28.5 17.4 9.1 4.9 2.0 

9.6 9.0 5.9 24.2 22.2 17.4 8.6 3.0 

7.9 8.2 6.4 20.6 23.9 18.7 9.5 4.8 

6.8 6.6 6.9 17.0 23.4 20.7 11.6 7.0 

11.0 7.8 6.7 20.9 23.7 15.4 8.2 6.3 

9.3 8.7 7.2 21.5 22.6 16.8 8.9 5.0 

12.9 15.5 7.6 23.7 23.5 12.0 3.8 1.0 

9.2 9.6 7.5 26.5 25.2 13.2 6.0 2.7 

8.2 8.6 7.2 20.7 23.7 18.3 9.0 4.2 

8.2 8.3 5.2 18.3 21.5 18.4 12.9 7.4 

13.8 9.1 7.4 20.2 22.4 13.3 8.6 5.2 

9.9 9.6 6.8 21.0 23.0 16.0 9.0 4.7 

1 When alcohol tests were not done or test results are unknown, imputed BAC data provided by NHTSA are used (see page 2 for more 

information). 2

 BAC level in grams per deciliter. 3

 Including drivers whose age is unknown. 

24
 
Table 12. Driver’s alcohol involvement1

 in fatal traffic crashes, according to sex and age, United States, 1998 and 2004. 

Sex and age 

Drivers 

1998 2004 

Alcohol-involved 

Total 

 Alcohol-involved 

Total Number Percent Number Percent 

Both sexes 

Under 16 ........... 

16–20 ................ 

21–24 ................ 

25–29 ................ 

30–34 ................ 

35–39 ................ 

40–44 ................ 

45–49 ................ 

50–54 ................ 

55–59 ................ 

60–64 ................ 

65–69 ................ 

70–74 ................ 

75–79 ................ 

80+.................... 

Total 2 

Male 3 

Under 16 ........... 

16–20 ................ 

21–24 ................ 

25–29 ................ 

30–34 ................ 

35–39 ................ 

40–44 ................ 

45–49 ................ 

50–54 ................ 

55–59 ................ 

60–64 ................ 

65–69 ................ 

70–74 ................ 

75–79 ................ 

80+.................... 

Total2 

Female 3 

Under 16 ........... 

16–20 ................ 

21–24 ................ 

25–29 ................ 

30–34 ................ 

35–39 ................ 

40–44 ................ 

45–49 ................ 

50–54 ................ 

55–59 ................ 

60–64 ................ 

65–69 ................ 

70–74 ................ 

75–79 ................ 

80+.................... 

Total2 

361 56 15.4 

7,767 1,721 22.2 

5,613 2,100 37.4 

6,211 2,073 33.4 

5,714 1,767 30.9 

5,997 1,792 29.9 

5,244 1,344 25.6 

4,201 958 22.8 

3,489 632 18.1 

2,565 393 15.3 

1,913 213 11.2 

1,748 174 10.0 

1,651 140 8.5 

1,439 97 6.8 

1,852 100 5.4 

56,604 13,840 24.5 

250 39 15.8 

5,517 1,460 26.5 

4,321 1,827 42.3 

4,611 1,746 37.9 

4,196 1,426 34.0 

4,356 1,414 32.5 

3,915 1,087 27.8 

3,130 811 25.9 

2,572 545 21.2 

1,884 328 17.4 

1,396 182 13.0 

1,212 156 12.9 

1,102 114 10.4 

934 79 8.5 

1,287 83 6.5 

40,816 11,345 27.8 

111 16 14.7 

2,250 261 11.6 

1,292 273 21.1 

1,600 327 20.4 

1,518 341 22.5 

1,641 378 23.0 

1,327 256 19.3 

1,071 147 13.7 

916 87 9.5 

681 64 9.4 

517 32 6.2 

536 18 3.4 

548 26 4.7 

505 18 3.5 

565 16 2.9 

15,089 2,262 15.0 

345 48 14.0 

7,755 1,772 22.8 

6,413 2,507 39.1 

5,997 2,053 34.2 

5,245 1,506 28.7 

5,326 1,443 27.1 

5,417 1,415 26.1 

5,107 1,203 23.5 

4,041 774 19.2 

3,217 531 16.5 

2,395 319 13.3 

1,679 190 11.3 

1,391 118 8.5 

1,385 103 7.5 

1,784 106 6.0 

58,395 14,284 24.5 

254 36 14.0 

5,435 1,467 27.0 

4,870 2,159 44.3 

4,471 1,762 39.4 

3,886 1,247 32.1 

3,931 1,173 29.8 

4,103 1,179 28.7 

3,791 983 25.9 

3,001 648 21.6 

2,380 447 18.8 

1,747 276 15.8 

1,178 158 13.4 

977 102 10.4 

900 84 9.3 

1,206 87 7.2 

42,250 11,838 28.0 

91 13 14.0 

2,320 305 13.2 

1,542 348 22.6 

1,525 292 19.1 

1,359 259 19.1 

1,394 270 19.4 

1,314 236 17.9 

1,315 219 16.7 

1,040 126 12.1 

837 84 10.0 

648 44 6.7 

501 33 6.6 

414 16 3.9 

485 20 4.0 

578 20 3.4 

15,384 2,286 14.9 

1

 When alcohol tests were not done or test results are unknown, imputed blood alcohol concentration (BAC) data provided by 

NHTSA are used (see page 2 for more information). 2 Including drivers whose age is unknown. 3 The sum of the male and female drivers may not always equal the number for both sexes in a corresponding category because 

drivers with missing data on sex are excluded from the male and female subcategories. 

25 
Table 13. Alcohol involvement1

 among young drivers under age 21 and drivers ages 21 and older in fatal traffic crashes, 
 

United States, 1982–2004. 
 

Year 

Drivers 2 

Under age 21 Ages 21 and older 

Total 

Alcohol-involved 

Total 

Alcohol-involved 

Number Percent Number Percent 

2004 ................... 

2003 ................... 

2002 ................... 

2001 ................... 

2000 ................... 

1999 ................... 

1998 ................... 

1997 ................... 

1996 ................... 

1995 ................... 

1994 ................... 

1993 ................... 

1992 ................... 

1991 ................... 

1990 ................... 

1989 ................... 

1988 ................... 

1987 ................... 

1986 ................... 

1985 ................... 

1984 ................... 

1983 ................... 

1982 ...................

 8,100 1,820 22.5 

 8,089 1,876 23.2 

 8,463 1,931 22.8 

 8,285 1,901 22.9 

 8,344 1,951 23.4 

 8,318 1,784 21.5 

 8,128 1,777 21.9 

 8,064 1,737 21.5 

 8,237 1,827 22.2 

 8,135 1,676 20.6 

 8,120 1,893 23.3 

 7,639 1,830 24.0 

 7,542 2,029 26.9 

 8,366 2,460 29.4 

 9,230 2,967 32.1 

 9,844 2,906 29.5 

 10,619 3,405 32.1 

 10,379 3,387 32.6 

 10,667 3,897 36.5 

 9,865 3,347 33.9 

 10,250 4,010 39.1 

 9,750 4,055 41.6 

 10,270 4,484 43.7 

49,397 12,269 24.8 

49,541 12,230 24.7 

48,746 12,582 25.8 

48,388 12,415 25.7 

48,102 12,480 25.9 

47,374 11,694 24.7 

47,637 11,784 24.7 

47,693 11,825 24.8 

47,800 12,642 26.4 

47,122 12,712 27.0 

45,515 12,441 27.3 

44,824 12,772 28.5 

43,490 13,098 30.1 

45,005 14,271 31.7 

48,572 16,104 33.2 

49,428 15,762 31.9 

50,487 16,760 33.2 

49,919 16,980 34.0 

48,525 17,258 35.6 

46,936 16,261 34.6 

46,218 17,257 37.3 

43,850 16,976 38.7 

44,604 17,783 39.9 

1

 When alcohol tests were not done or test results are unknown, imputed blood alcohol concentration (BAC) data provided by 

NHTSA are used (see page 2 for more information). 2 Excluding drivers whose age is unknown. 

26