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    Drunk Driving

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      Overview
                      Every day, about 37 people in the United States die in drunk-driving crashes — that's one person every 39 minutes. In 2022, 13,524 people died in alcohol-impaired driving traffic deaths. These deaths were all preventable.

          
                    
          
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                                Safety Facts

                                                  13,524
      Deaths from drunk-driving crashes in 2022
      Source

        Campaign
              Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving

        Drunk Driving
                                                                                                              The Issue
                                                                                NHTSA In Action
                                                                                Resources

      Alcohol Effects
                                      Risk Factors
                                      Consequences
                                      Responsible Driving

        Drunk Driving
      The Issue
                      
                                              Alcohol Effects
                                                          Risk Factors
                                                          Consequences
                                                          Responsible Driving
                                                                              NHTSA In Action
                                                                              Resources

                    The Issue
                  

                  How alcohol affects driving ability
          
          
    
  
       
  
Traffic Safety Facts & Data Publications
		Alcohol-Impaired Driving
   
  Alcohol is a substance that reduces the function of the brain, impairing thinking, reasoning and muscle coordination. All these abilities are essential to operating a vehicle safely.As alcohol levels rise in a person’s system, the negative effects on the central nervous system increase. Alcohol is absorbed directly through the walls of the stomach and small intestine. Then it passes into the bloodstream where it accumulates until it is metabolized by the liver. A person's alcohol level is measured by the weight of the alcohol in a certain volume of blood. This is called Blood Alcohol Concentration, or BAC. At a BAC of .08 grams of alcohol per deciliter (g/dL) of blood, crash risk increases exponentially. Because of this risk, it’s illegal in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico to drive with a BAC of .08 or higher, except in Utah where the BAC limit is .05.However, even a small amount of alcohol can affect driving ability. In 2022, there were 2,337 people killed in alcohol-related crashes where a driver had a BAC of .01 to .07 g/dL.BAC is measured with a breathalyzer, a device that measures the amount of alcohol in a driver’s breath, or by a blood test.

 
  
The Effects of Blood Alcohol Concentration
      Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) in g/dL
                  Typical Effects
                  Predictable Effects on Driving.02
                      Some loss of judgment; relaxation, slight body warmth, altered mood
                      Decline in visual functions (rapid tracking of a moving target), decline in ability to perform two tasks at the same time (divided attention).05
                      Exaggerated behavior, may have loss of small-muscle control (e.g., focusing your eyes), impaired judgment, usually good feeling, lowered alertness, release of inhibition
                      Reduced coordination, reduced ability to track moving objects, difficulty steering, reduced response to emergency driving situations.08
                      Muscle coordination becomes poor (e.g., balance, speech, vision, reaction time, and hearing), harder to detect danger; judgment, self-control, reasoning, and memory are impaired
                      Concentration, short-term memory loss, speed control, reduced information processing capability (e.g., signal detection, visual search), impaired perception.10
                      Clear deterioration of reaction time and control, slurred speech, poor coordination, and slowed thinking
                      Reduced ability to maintain lane position and brake appropriately.15
                      Far less muscle control than normal, vomiting may occur (unless this level is reached slowly or a person has developed a tolerance for alcohol), major loss of balance
                      Substantial impairment in vehicle control, attention to driving task, and in necessary visual and auditory information processingTable describing BAC and typical effects of various BAC levels


 
    
  Frequently Asked Questions


            
        Does the type of alcohol I drink affect my BAC?
              No. A drink is a drink.
A standard drink equals about half an ounce of alcohol (.54 ounces, to be exact). This is the approximate amount of alcohol found in:
one shot of distilled spirits, or
one 5-ounce glass of wine, or
one 12-ounce beer.
                      
            What affects my BAC?
              How fast a person’s BAC rises varies based on a number of factors:
**The number of drinks.** The more you drink, the higher your BAC.
**How fast you drink.** When alcohol is consumed quickly, you will reach a higher BAC than when it is consumed over a longer period of time.
**Your gender.** Women generally have less water and more body fat per pound of body weight than men. Alcohol does not go into fat cells as easily as other cells, so more alcohol remains in the blood of women.
**Your weight.** The more you weigh, the more water is present in your body. This water dilutes the alcohol and lowers the BAC.
**Food in your stomach.** Absorption will be slowed if you’ve had something to eat.
                      
            Can I determine my BAC?
              Because of the number of factors that affect BAC, it is very difficult to assess your own BAC or impairment. Even small amounts of alcohol affect one’s brain and the ability to drive. People often think they are “fine” after several drinks – but in fact, the failure to recognize alcohol impairment is often a symptom of impairment.
While the lower stages of alcohol impairment are undetectable to others, the drinker knows vaguely when the “buzz” begins. A person will likely be too impaired to drive before looking – or maybe even feeling “drunk.”
                      
            What impact does BAC have on my driving?
              Know that alcohol steadily decreases a person’s ability to drive a motor vehicle safely. The more you drink, the greater the effect. As with BAC, the signs of impairment differ with the individual.
Drivers with a BAC of .08 are approximately **4 times more likely** to crash than drivers with a BAC of zero. At a BAC of .15, drivers are at least **12 times more likely** to crash than drivers with a BAC of zero. The risk of crashing is even greater for young males.The Issue
                  

                  Risk Factors
          
          
    
  
       
  
      Driving After Drinking
                          Age
                          Motorcyclists
                          Alcohol Abuse and CostDriving After Drinking


		
		 
  Driving after drinking is deadly. Yet it still continues to happen across the United States. If you drive while impaired, you could get arrested, or worse — be involved in a traffic crash that causes serious injury or death.About 32% of all traffic crash fatalities in the United States involve drunk drivers (with BACs of .08 g/dL or higher). In 2022, there were 13,524 people killed in these preventable crashes. In fact, on average over the 10-year period from 2013-2022, about 11,000 people died every year in drunk-driving crashes.In every state, it’s illegal to drive drunk, yet one person was killed in a drunk-driving crash every 39 minutes in the United States in 2022.
Car crashes are a leading cause of death for teens, and almost a third of young drivers killed in fatal crashes involved underage drinking. In 2022, 30% of young drivers 15 to 20 years old who were killed in crashes had BACs of .01 g/dL or higher.To reduce alcohol-related fatal crashes among youth, all states have adopted a minimum legal drinking age of 21. NHTSA estimates that minimum-drinking-age laws have saved 31,959 lives from 1975 to 2017.In 2022, the highest percentage of drunk drivers (with BACs of .08 g/dL or higher) were the 21-to 24-year-old age group. Men are most likely to be involved in this type of crash, with four male drunk drivers for every female drunk driver.
In 2022, 5,934 people operating a motorcycle were killed in traffic crashes. Of those motorcycle riders, 1,705 (29%) were drunk (BAC of .08 g/dL or higher).Motorcycle operators involved in fatal crashes were found to have the highest percentage (28%) of alcohol-impaired drivers than any other vehicle types.The 45-to-49 age group had the highest percent, 37%, of drunk motorcycle riders killed in 2022.
Repeat offenders who drink and drive are a very real, very deadly problem. Drivers with BACs of .08 g/dL or higher involved in fatal crashes were 4 times more likely to have prior convictions for driving while impaired than were drivers with no alcohol (6% and 2%, respectively).When it comes to drunk driving, it affects more than just the driver. In 2022, among children (14 and younger) killed in motor vehicle crashes, 25% were killed in drunk-driving crashes. Of those deaths, more than half the time (57%) the child killed was in the vehicle driven by the drunk driver.In addition to the human toll drunk driving takes on our country, the financial impact is devastating: based on 2019 numbers, impaired-driving crashes cost the United States $68.9 billion annually.The Issue
                  

                  Consequences
          
          
    
  
       
  Know the Facts
			Interactions between alcohol and other substances in the body such as certain medications or illegal drugs increase impairment and make driving more risky.
      Also see Drug-Impaired DrivingDriving a vehicle while impaired is a dangerous crime. Tough enforcement of drunk-driving laws has been a major factor in reducing drunk-driving deaths since the 1980s. Charges range from misdemeanors to felony offenses, and penalties for impaired driving can include driver’s license revocation, fines, and jail time. It’s also extremely expensive. A first-time offense can cost the driver upwards of $10,000 in fines and legal fees.Many states require offenders to install ignition interlock devices at the driver’s own expense. An ignition interlock device is a breath test device connected to a vehicle’s ignition. The vehicle cannot be operated unless the driver blows into the interlock and has a BAC below a pre-set low limit, usually .02 g/dL. NHTSA strongly supports the expansion of ignition interlocks as a proven technology that keeps drunk drivers from getting behind the wheel.The Issue
                  

                  Responsible behavior
          
          
    
  
       
  **BEING A RESPONSIBLE DRIVER IS SIMPLE: IF YOU ARE DRINKING, DO NOT DRIVE.**Plan your safe ride home before you start the party, choose a non-drinking friend as a designated driver.If someone you know has been drinking, do not let that person get behind the wheel. Take their keys and help them arrange a sober ride home.If you drink, do not drive for any reason. Call a taxi, a ride-hailing service, or a sober friend.If you’re hosting a party where alcohol will be served, make sure all guests leave with a sober driver.Always wear your seat belt — it’s your best defense against impaired drivers.If you see an impaired driver on the road, contact local law enforcement. Your actions could help save someone’s life.
                NHTSA In Action
                  

                  NHTSA is dedicated to eliminating risky behaviors on our nation's roads
          
          
    
  
       
  NHTSA demonstrates its commitment to eliminating drunk driving through research, public awareness campaigns, and state safety grant programs. We will continue until there are zero drunk-driving crashes on our roadways.

 
  
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