Fatality Facts 2023Alcohol

Overview

The probability of a fatal crash rises significantly after 0.05% blood alcohol concentration (BAC) and even more rapidly after 0.08% (Zador et al., 2000; Voas et al., 2012).

Drivers with very high BACs (at or above 0.15%) have a very high risk of dying in a crash or getting severely injured (Zador et al., 2000; Peck et al., 2008).

Forty-nine states and the District of Columbia have per se laws making it a crime to drive with a BAC at or above 0.08%. In Utah, it’s a crime to drive with a BAC of 0.05% or above.

Substantial progress was made from 1982 to the mid-1990s in reducing the number and proportion of fatally injured drivers with BACs at or above 0.08%. However, little subsequent progress has been made, and alcohol-impaired driving is still a major problem. Institute research estimates that 25% of crash deaths could be prevented each year if all drivers with BACs of 0.08% or higher were kept off the roads (Farmer, 2021).

At the same BAC, drivers younger than 21 are far more likely than older drivers to get into a fatal or nonfatal crash (Zador et al., 2000; Voas et al., 2012; Peck et al., 2008).

The following facts are based on analysis of data from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System. The data are from all 50 states and the District of Columbia with imputations for missing BACs provided by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s multiple imputation model (Subramanian, 2002).

Posted July 2025.

Who is killed

In 2023, the individuals most often killed in crashes involving at least one alcohol-impaired driver (BAC ≥ 0.08%) were alcohol-impaired drivers (7,494 deaths), followed by occupants of other vehicles (1,980 deaths), passengers riding with an alcohol-impaired driver (1,571 deaths), and nonoccupants (1,384 deaths).

Fatalities in crashes involving at least one driver with a BAC ≥ 0.08%, 2023
Age Alcohol-impaired drivers Passengers riding With alcohol-impaired drivers Occupants of other vehicles Nonoccupants Total*
Deaths % Deaths % Deaths % Deaths % Deaths %
0-15 13 0 160 10 96 5 37 3 307 2
16-20 554 7 304 19 171 9 56 4 1,085 9
21-30 2,116 28 470 30 373 19 220 16 3,179 26
31-40 1,741 23 238 15 309 16 273 20 2,561 21
41-50 1,221 16 144 9 280 14 251 18 1,896 15
51-60 939 13 110 7 258 13 242 17 1,548 12
61-70 599 8 55 4 243 12 178 13 1,074 9
>70 303 4 79 5 249 13 112 8 743 6
Total* 7,494 100 1,571 100 1,980 100 1,384 100 12,429 100

Age and sex

Among fatally injured passenger vehicle drivers in 2023, a higher proportion of males than females had BACs at or above 0.08% at every age. Overall, 33% of males and 24% of females had BACs at or above 0.08%. The percentage was highest among males ages 21-30. The lowest percentage was observed among females older than 70. 

Estimated number and percent of fatally injured passenger vehicle drivers with BACs ≥ 0.08% by driver age and sex, 2023
Age Male Female Total*
Drivers killed Estimated drivers killed with BACs ≥ 0.08 Drivers killed Estimated drivers killed with BACs ≥ 0.08 Drivers killed Estimated drivers killed with BACs ≥ 0.08
Number Number % Number Number % Number Number %
16-20 1,162 369 32 417 102 25 1,579 472 30
21-30 2,748 1,278 47 997 389 39 3,748 1,669 45
31-40 2,314 988 43 898 309 34 3,213 1,297 40
41-50 1,731 663 38 680 178 26 2,415 842 35
51-60 1,677 497 30 616 120 19 2,293 617 27
61-70 1,556 350 23 665 93 14 2,224 445 20
>70 1,849 194 10 932 73 8 2,782 267 10
Total* 13,085 4,350 33 5,212 1,265 24 18,315 5,624 31

Among fatally injured passenger vehicle drivers in 2023, 25% of males and 18% of females had BACs at or above 0.15%.

Estimated number and percent of fatally injured passenger vehicle drivers with BACs ≥ 0.15% by driver age and sex, 2023
Age Male Female Total*
Drivers killed Estimated drivers killed with BACs ≥ 0.15 Drivers killed Estimated drivers killed with BACs ≥ 0.15 Drivers killed Estimated drivers killed with BACs ≥ 0.15
Number Number % Number Number % Number Number %
16-20 1,162 237 20 417 57 14 1,579 294 19
21-30 2,748 966 35 997 292 29 3,748 1,259 34
31-40 2,314 788 34 898 244 27 3,213 1,032 32
41-50 1,731 520 30 680 138 20 2,415 659 27
51-60 1,677 386 23 616 89 15 2,293 476 21
61-70 1,556 258 17 665 69 10 2,224 328 15
>70 1,849 137 7 932 49 5 2,782 186 7
Total* 13,085 3,299 25 5,212 939 18 18,315 4,245 23

Since the 1980s, the percentage of fatally injured passenger vehicle drivers with BACs at or above 0.08% has declined more among 16-20-year-olds than among older drivers. The percentage of fatally injured 16-20-year-old passenger vehicle drivers with BACs at or above 0.08% is now lower than the percentage in the 21-50-year-old age group, although the percentage for drivers ages 16-20 has been on the rise since 2017.

Percent of fatally injured passenger vehicle drivers with BACs ≥ 0.08% by driver age, 1982-2023

Estimated number and percent of fatally injured passenger vehicle drivers with BACs ≥ 0.08% by driver age, 1982-2023
Year 16-20 years 21-30 years 31-40 years 41-50 years >50 years
Drivers killed Estimated drivers killed with BACs ≥ 0.08 Drivers killed Estimated drivers killed with BACs ≥ 0.08 Drivers killed Estimated drivers killed with BACs ≥ 0.08 Drivers killed Estimated drivers killed with BACs ≥ 0.08 Drivers killed Estimated drivers killed with BACs ≥ 0.08
Number Number % Number Number % Number Number % Number Number % Number Number %
1982 3,456 1,826 53 6,244 3,948 63 3,352 1,980 59 1,935 1,023 53 4,574 1,206 26
1983 3,326 1,681 51 6,053 3,859 64 3,383 1,982 59 1,847 853 46 4,615 1,108 24
1984 3,441 1,595 46 6,413 3,885 61 3,549 1,892 53 1,949 890 46 4,839 1,077 22
1985 3,227 1,260 39 6,263 3,659 58 3,430 1,842 54 2,071 914 44 4,940 957 19
1986 3,636 1,495 41 6,695 3,974 59 3,801 1,997 53 2,007 896 45 5,234 994 19
1987 3,630 1,315 36 6,802 3,975 58 4,049 2,151 53 2,128 896 42 5,402 968 18
1988 3,788 1,358 36 6,819 3,991 59 4,130 2,200 53 2,400 1,011 42 5,615 992 18
1989 3,536 1,225 35 6,475 3,675 57 4,130 2,168 52 2,558 1,100 43 5,713 1,004 18
1990 3,397 1,198 35 6,152 3,510 57 4,135 2,263 55 2,519 1,045 41 5,620 930 17
1991 3,021 1,044 35 5,623 3,183 57 3,831 2,111 55 2,479 1,049 42 5,491 833 15
1992 2,697 829 31 5,122 2,759 54 3,734 1,993 53 2,416 970 40 5,489 860 16
1993 2,805 795 28 5,065 2,658 52 3,826 2,003 52 2,475 975 39 5,737 873 15
1994 2,990 800 27 4,975 2,484 50 3,858 1,923 50 2,631 1,024 39 6,036 824 14
1995 2,983 725 24 5,081 2,585 51 4,118 2,090 51 2,854 1,147 40 6,275 918 15
1996 3,026 769 25 4,989 2,475 50 4,061 1,984 49 2,937 1,137 39 6,480 949 15
1997 3,036 774 25 4,775 2,275 48 3,913 1,947 50 2,994 1,124 38 6,870 934 14
1998 3,094 767 25 4,577 2,222 49 3,912 1,831 47 3,140 1,184 38 6,787 915 13
1999 3,261 849 26 4,653 2,260 49 3,821 1,799 47 3,131 1,176 38 6,918 891 13
2000 3,250 844 26 4,706 2,268 48 3,724 1,767 47 3,255 1,268 39 6,764 963 14
2001 3,247 823 25 4,735 2,358 50 3,643 1,700 47 3,300 1,334 40 6,847 972 14
2002 3,452 873 25 4,938 2,462 50 3,678 1,696 46 3,449 1,360 39 6,879 964 14
2003 3,260 858 26 4,852 2,308 48 3,453 1,534 44 3,420 1,352 40 7,084 1,044 15
2004 3,175 815 26 4,970 2,372 48 3,333 1,414 42 3,438 1,276 37 6,918 1,053 15
2005 2,985 734 25 5,067 2,492 49 3,372 1,526 45 3,358 1,290 38 7,079 1,036 15
2006 3,020 831 28 5,159 2,535 49 3,288 1,511 46 3,263 1,216 37 6,770 1,052 16
2007 2,728 766 28 5,028 2,592 52 2,992 1,408 47 3,060 1,211 40 6,645 1,056 16
2008 2,292 626 27 4,388 2,327 53 2,656 1,300 49 2,718 1,068 39 6,154 940 15
2009 2,049 609 30 3,870 2,020 52 2,399 1,127 47 2,623 1,107 42 5,847 923 16
2010 1,675 438 26 3,697 1,816 49 2,414 1,086 45 2,312 914 40 5,887 914 16
2011 1,722 488 28 3,612 1,747 48 2,230 987 44 2,218 871 39 5,745 962 17
2012 1,624 436 27 3,748 1,803 48 2,391 1,099 46 2,188 872 40 5,926 988 17
2013 1,381 360 26 3,671 1,788 49 2,336 1,058 45 2,138 850 40 6,018 1,049 17
2014 1,434 344 24 3,636 1,707 47 2,317 987 43 2,042 752 37 6,025 1,110 18
2015 1,591 348 22 3,860 1,658 43 2,522 1,067 42 2,121 744 35 6,491 1,090 17
2016 1,591 330 21 4,205 1,812 43 2,726 1,114 41 2,218 781 35 6,857 1,102 16
2017 1,483 322 22 4,057 1,721 42 2,830 1,125 40 2,282 767 34 7,056 1,174 17
2018 1,439 289 20 3,962 1,674 42 2,711 1,062 39 2,158 736 34 6,958 1,191 17
2019 1,334 286 21 3,639 1,552 43 2,736 1,063 39 2,148 710 33 6,985 1,174 17
2020 1,579 391 25 4,258 1,747 41 3,150 1,236 39 2,393 830 35 6,864 1,318 19
2021 1,720 411 24 4,520 1,943 43 3,731 1,472 39 2,674 918 34 7,629 1,432 19
2022 1,612 439 27 4,111 1,836 45 3,482 1,420 41 2,622 897 34 7,727 1,405 18
2023 1,579 472 30 3,748 1,669 45 3,213 1,297 40 2,415 842 35 7,299 1,329 18

When alcohol-impaired crashes occur

Alcohol involvement in fatal crashes peaks at night. Between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m., 51% of fatally injured passenger vehicle drivers in 2023 had BACs at or above 0.08%, compared with 20% during other hours.

Estimated number and percent of fatally injured passenger vehicle drivers with high BACs by nighttime vs. other times, 2023
Time of day Drivers killed Estimated drivers killed with BACs ≥ 0.08 Estimated drivers killed with BACs ≥ 0.15
Number Number % Number %
9 p.m. - 6 a.m. 6,364 3,261 51 2,469 39
Other hours 11,951 2,363 20 1,776 15
Total 18,315 5,624 31 4,245 23

The three-hour period with the highest percentage of driver fatalities with BACs of 0.08% or higher is midnight to 3 a.m.

Estimated number and percent of fatally injured passenger vehicle drivers with high BACs by time of day, 2023
Time of day Drivers killed Estimated drivers killed with BACs ≥ 0.08 Estimated drivers killed with BACs ≥ 0.15
Number Number % Number %
Midnight - 3 a.m. 2,241 1,382 62 1,054 47
3 a.m. - 6 a.m. 1,776 782 44 574 32
6 a.m. - 9 a.m. 2,028 267 13 199 10
9 a.m. - noon 1,887 178 9 122 6
Noon - 3 p.m. 2,460 326 13 245 10
3 p.m. - 6 p.m. 2,882 609 21 458 16
6 p.m. - 9 p.m. 2,536 898 35 688 27
9 p.m. - midnight 2,347 1,098 47 841 36
Total* 18,315 5,624 31 4,245 23

Forty-two percent of passenger vehicle drivers fatally injured on weekends (6 p.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Monday) in 2023 had BACs at or above 0.08%, compared with 23% at other times.

Estimated number and percent of fatally injured passenger vehicle drivers with high BACs by weekend vs. other times, 2023
Drivers killed Estimated drivers killed with BACs ≥ 0.08 Estimated drivers killed with BACs ≥ 0.15
Number Number % Number %
Weekend (6 p.m. Friday - 6 a.m. Monday) 7,245 3,039 42 2,318 32
Other times 11,070 2,585 23 1,927 17
Total 18,315 5,624 31 4,245 23

Alcohol involvement is very high in fatal nighttime (9 p.m. to 6 a.m.) single-vehicle crashes. In 2023, 62% of fatally injured passenger vehicle drivers in these crashes had BACs at or above 0.08%, and 46% had BACs at or above 0.15%. Five percent had BACs of 0.01% to 0.07%.

Estimated number and percent of fatally injured passenger vehicle drivers by BAC, time, and crash type, 2023
Drivers killed Estimated drivers killed with BACs = 0 Estimated drivers killed with 0.01 ≤ BACs < 0.08 Estimated drivers killed with BACs ≥ 0.08 Estimated drivers killed with BACs ≥ 0.15
Number Number % Number % Number % Number %
Single vehicle Night 3,508 1,172 33 174 5 2,161 62 1,629 46
Day 4,538 2,982 66 165 4 1,391 31 1,056 23
Multiple vehicle Night 2,856 1,619 57 138 5 1,100 39 840 29
Day 7,255 6,162 85 206 3 888 12 656 9