Fatality Facts 2021Alcohol

Overview

The probability of a fatal crash rises significantly after 0.05 percent blood alcohol concentration (BAC) and even more rapidly after 0.08 percent. Zador, P. L., Krawchuck, S., & Voas, R. B. (2000). Alcohol-related relative risk of driver fatalities and driver involvement in fatal crashes in relation to driver age and gender: An update using 1996 data. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 61, 387-395. Voas, R. B., Torres, P., Romano, E., & Lacey, J. H. (2012). Alcohol-related risk of driver fatalities: An update using 2007 data. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 73(3), 341-350.

Drivers with very high BACs (at or above 0.15 percent) have a very high risk of dying in a crash or getting severely injured. Zador, P. L., Krawchuck, S., & Voas, R. B. (2000). Alcohol-related relative risk of driver fatalities and driver involvement in fatal crashes in relation to driver age and gender: An update using 1996 data. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 61, 387-395. ^, Peck, R. C., Gebers, M. A., Voas, R. B., & Romano, E. (2008). The relationship between blood alcohol concentration (BAC), age, and crash risk. Journal of Safety Research, 39, 311-319.

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 percent. In Utah, it's a crime to drive with a BAC of 0.05 percent or above.

Substantial progress was made from 1982 to the mid-1990s in reducing the numbers and proportion of fatally injured drivers with BACs at or above 0.08 percent. However, little subsequent progress has been made, and alcohol-impaired driving is still a major problem. Institute research estimates that 25 percent of crash deaths could be prevented each year if all drivers with BACs of 0.08 percent or higher were kept off the roads. Farmer, C. M. (2021). Potential lives saved by in-vehicle alcohol detection systems. Traffic Injury Prevention, 22, 7-12.

At the same BAC, drivers younger than 21 are far more likely than older drivers to get into a fatal or nonfatal crash. Zador, P. L., Krawchuck, S., & Voas, R. B. (2000). Alcohol-related relative risk of driver fatalities and driver involvement in fatal crashes in relation to driver age and gender: An update using 1996 data. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 61, 387-395. Voas, R. B., Torres, P., Romano, E., & Lacey, J. H. (2012). Alcohol-related risk of driver fatalities: An update using 2007 data. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 73(3), 341-350. Peck, R. C., Gebers, M. A., Voas, R. B., & Romano, E. (2008). The relationship between blood alcohol concentration (BAC), age, and crash risk. Journal of Safety Research, 39, 311-319.The minimum drinking age is 21 throughout the United States. In addition, all states have “zero tolerance” laws that prohibit people younger than 21 from driving after drinking. The percentage of fatally injured 16-20-year-old passenger vehicle drivers with BACs at or above 0.08 percent now is substantially lower than drivers ages 21-50.

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, R. (2002). Transitioning to multiple imputation — A new method to impute missing blood alcohol concentration (BAC) values in FARS (Report no. DOT HS-809-403). National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Posted May 2023.

Trends

The percentage of fatally injured drivers with BACs at or above 0.08 percent declined steadily from 49 percent in 1982 to 33 percent in 1994 (a 32 percent decline). This percentage has declined more gradually since 1994 and was 29 percent in 2021. Among drivers and pedestrians killed in crashes in 2021, only 5 percent of drivers of large trucks had BACs at or above 0.08 percent, compared with 31 percent of pedestrians ages 16 and older, 30 percent of passenger vehicle drivers and 29 percent of motorcycle drivers.

Percent of fatally injured people with BACs ≥ 0.08 percent by type, 1982-2021

Estimated number and percent of fatally injured people with BACs ≥ 0.08 percent by type, 1982-2021
Year	All drivers			Passenger vehicle drivers			Large truck drivers			Motorcycle drivers			Pedestrians (age ≥16)
	Deaths	Estimated deaths with BACs ≥ 0.08		Deaths	Estimated deaths with BACs ≥ 0.08		Deaths	Estimated deaths with BACs ≥ 0.08		Deaths	Estimated deaths with BACs ≥ 0.08		Deaths	Estimated deaths with BACs ≥ 0.08
	Number	Number	%	Number	Number	%	Number	Number	%	Number	Number	%	Number	Number	%
1982	24,690	12,139	49	19,664	10,024	51	735	123	17	3,876	1,842	48	5,993	2,668	45
1983	24,138	11,543	48	19,338	9,529	49	767	115	15	3,727	1,811	49	5,582	2,486	45
1984	25,589	11,499	45	20,300	9,379	46	859	107	12	4,055	1,870	46	5,755	2,439	42
1985	25,337	10,685	42	20,058	8,674	43	775	84	11	4,021	1,780	44	5,539	2,263	41
1986	26,630	11,409	43	21,503	9,396	44	736	58	8	4,019	1,846	46	5,547	2,242	40
1987	26,833	11,058	41	22,157	9,343	42	686	53	8	3,590	1,549	43	5,597	2,176	39
1988	27,253	11,103	41	22,884	9,580	42	743	66	9	3,281	1,374	42	5,701	2,162	38
1989	26,389	10,637	40	22,554	9,200	41	681	68	10	2,780	1,262	45	5,557	2,186	39
1990	25,750	10,395	40	21,953	8,973	41	570	50	9	2,895	1,261	44	5,488	2,137	39
1991	23,930	9,485	40	20,551	8,242	40	550	39	7	2,496	1,092	44	4,880	1,895	39
1992	22,584	8,452	37	19,573	7,434	38	506	26	5	2,172	889	41	4,734	1,861	39
1993	23,142	8,322	36	20,036	7,328	37	504	26	5	2,212	850	38	4,740	1,856	39
1994	23,691	7,913	33	20,647	7,083	34	545	36	7	2,092	692	33	4,637	1,718	37
1995	24,390	8,307	34	21,457	7,488	35	546	31	6	2,020	681	34	4,783	1,793	37
1996	24,534	8,175	33	21,631	7,336	34	525	34	6	1,962	700	36	4,670	1,804	39
1997	24,667	7,843	32	21,711	7,069	33	616	19	3	1,937	640	33	4,621	1,638	35
1998	24,743	7,834	32	21,627	6,944	32	628	30	5	2,089	736	35	4,597	1,678	37
1999	25,257	7,918	31	21,899	6,994	32	631	28	4	2,286	753	33	4,325	1,646	38
2000	25,567	8,166	32	21,819	7,127	33	641	28	4	2,651	859	32	4,192	1,534	37
2001	25,869	8,252	32	21,862	7,205	33	591	22	4	2,953	872	30	4,368	1,558	36
2002	26,659	8,515	32	22,537	7,381	33	582	38	7	3,031	957	32	4,367	1,584	36
2003	26,779	8,354	31	22,200	7,120	32	608	23	4	3,423	1,024	30	4,298	1,560	36
2004	26,871	8,155	30	21,952	6,952	32	624	24	4	3,711	1,022	28	4,237	1,528	36
2005	27,491	8,489	31	21,953	7,104	32	663	22	3	4,253	1,172	28	4,458	1,559	35
2006	27,348	8,578	31	21,592	7,164	33	678	30	4	4,492	1,204	27	4,384	1,656	38
2007	26,570	8,617	32	20,542	7,057	34	663	17	3	4,853	1,357	28	4,305	1,587	37
2008	24,254	7,961	33	18,266	6,280	34	534	19	4	4,970	1,488	30	4,069	1,545	38
2009	21,835	7,213	33	16,834	5,791	34	399	16	4	4,163	1,237	30	3,811	1,401	37
2010	21,072	6,579	31	16,029	5,177	32	426	17	4	4,207	1,205	29	3,988	1,410	35
2011	20,815	6,524	31	15,561	5,064	33	493	9	2	4,341	1,301	30	4,175	1,544	37
2012	21,490	6,735	31	15,915	5,204	33	524	14	3	4,652	1,354	29	4,501	1,626	36
2013	20,944	6,548	31	15,577	5,108	33	529	17	3	4,422	1,253	28	4,479	1,586	35
2014	20,788	6,387	31	15,495	4,906	32	536	16	3	4,041	1,199	30	4,629	1,596	34
2015	22,348	6,376	29	16,629	4,916	30	536	16	3	4,732	1,269	27	5,183	1,772	34
2016	23,715	6,681	28	17,641	5,149	29	590	17	3	4,998	1,334	27	5,726	1,968	34
2017	23,757	6,664	28	17,751	5,116	29	604	29	5	4,941	1,343	27	5,756	1,876	33
2018	23,045	6,349	28	17,263	4,957	29	583	18	3	4,724	1,193	25	6,122	2,022	33
2019	22,747	6,396	28	16,878	4,791	28	601	15	3	4,763	1,384	29	6,033	1,918	32
2020	24,860	7,216	29	18,316	5,540	30	556	40	7	5,307	1,396	26	6,295	1,931	31
2021	27,422	8,089	29	20,261	6,115	30	669	34	5	5,785	1,659	29	7,087	2,169	31

The percentage of fatally injured drivers with BACs of 0.15 percent or higher has declined 40 percent since 1982. Twenty-two percent of passenger vehicle drivers killed in 2021 had BACs at or above 0.15 percent compared with 18 percent of fatally injured motorcycle drivers and 3 percent of fatally injured large truck drivers. A higher percentage of pedestrians (23 percent) killed in crashes had BACs at or above 0.15 percent compared with any group of drivers.

Estimated number and percent of fatally injured people with BACs ≥ 0.15 percent by type, 1982-2021
Year	All drivers			Passenger vehicle drivers			Large truck drivers			Motorcycle drivers			Pedestrians (age ≥16)
	Deaths	Estimated deaths with BACs ≥ 0.15		Deaths	Estimated deaths with BACs ≥ 0.15		Deaths	Estimated deaths with BACs ≥ 0.15		Deaths	Estimated deaths with BACs ≥ 0.15		Deaths	Estimated deaths with BACs ≥ 0.15
	Number	Number	%	Number	Number	%	Number	Number	%	Number	Number	%	Number	Number	%
1982	24,690	8,660	35	19,664	7,328	37	735	75	10	3,876	1,154	30	5,993	2,077	35
1983	24,138	8,240	34	19,338	6,969	36	767	79	10	3,727	1,131	30	5,582	1,945	35
1984	25,589	8,203	32	20,300	6,864	34	859	70	8	4,055	1,161	29	5,755	1,886	33
1985	25,337	7,521	30	20,058	6,269	31	775	55	7	4,021	1,097	27	5,539	1,732	31
1986	26,630	8,077	30	21,503	6,783	32	736	34	5	4,019	1,189	30	5,547	1,730	31
1987	26,833	7,968	30	22,157	6,854	31	686	34	5	3,590	997	28	5,597	1,735	31
1988	27,253	8,114	30	22,884	7,126	31	743	45	6	3,281	887	27	5,701	1,688	30
1989	26,389	7,774	29	22,554	6,847	30	681	49	7	2,780	806	29	5,557	1,706	31
1990	25,750	7,631	30	21,953	6,670	30	570	32	6	2,895	844	29	5,488	1,697	31
1991	23,930	7,014	29	20,551	6,192	30	550	24	4	2,496	719	29	4,880	1,512	31
1992	22,584	6,258	28	19,573	5,569	28	506	17	3	2,172	603	28	4,734	1,474	31
1993	23,142	6,104	26	20,036	5,494	27	504	14	3	2,212	521	24	4,740	1,499	32
1994	23,691	5,849	25	20,647	5,326	26	545	27	5	2,092	427	20	4,637	1,355	29
1995	24,390	6,018	25	21,457	5,495	26	546	19	3	2,020	426	21	4,783	1,394	29
1996	24,534	5,925	24	21,631	5,383	25	525	18	4	1,962	452	23	4,670	1,433	31
1997	24,667	5,668	23	21,711	5,164	24	616	14	2	1,937	412	21	4,621	1,329	29
1998	24,743	5,692	23	21,627	5,127	24	628	23	4	2,089	464	22	4,597	1,332	29
1999	25,257	5,678	22	21,899	5,108	23	631	22	3	2,286	451	20	4,325	1,292	30
2000	25,567	5,801	23	21,819	5,138	24	641	10	2	2,651	546	21	4,192	1,204	29
2001	25,869	5,976	23	21,862	5,328	24	591	17	3	2,953	535	18	4,368	1,232	28
2002	26,659	6,146	23	22,537	5,463	24	582	23	4	3,031	575	19	4,367	1,267	29
2003	26,779	6,010	22	22,200	5,258	24	608	15	2	3,423	618	18	4,298	1,254	29
2004	26,871	5,837	22	21,952	5,089	23	624	16	2	3,711	629	17	4,237	1,195	28
2005	27,491	6,073	22	21,953	5,220	24	663	14	2	4,253	704	17	4,458	1,246	28
2006	27,348	6,101	22	21,592	5,248	24	678	18	3	4,492	713	16	4,384	1,324	30
2007	26,570	6,275	24	20,542	5,272	26	663	11	2	4,853	860	18	4,305	1,269	29
2008	24,254	5,844	24	18,266	4,792	26	534	13	3	4,970	925	19	4,069	1,243	31
2009	21,835	5,219	24	16,834	4,324	26	399	12	3	4,163	760	18	3,811	1,115	29
2010	21,072	4,881	23	16,029	3,964	25	426	10	2	4,207	774	18	3,988	1,141	29
2011	20,815	4,705	23	15,561	3,804	24	493	4	1	4,341	801	18	4,175	1,223	29
2012	21,490	5,008	23	15,915	3,998	25	524	11	2	4,652	884	19	4,501	1,281	28
2013	20,944	4,817	23	15,577	3,905	25	529	8	1	4,422	778	18	4,479	1,272	28
2014	20,788	4,748	23	15,495	3,779	24	536	13	2	4,041	769	19	4,629	1,282	28
2015	22,348	4,603	21	16,629	3,693	22	536	11	2	4,732	771	16	5,183	1,413	27
2016	23,715	4,825	20	17,641	3,875	22	590	11	2	4,998	815	16	5,726	1,552	27
2017	23,757	4,809	20	17,751	3,822	22	604	20	3	4,941	839	17	5,756	1,454	25
2018	23,045	4,592	20	17,263	3,714	22	583	8	1	4,724	741	16	6,122	1,566	26
2019	22,747	4,606	20	16,878	3,576	21	601	10	2	4,763	869	18	6,033	1,495	25
2020	24,860	5,128	21	18,316	4,103	22	556	26	5	5,307	835	16	6,295	1,528	24
2021	27,422	5,794	21	20,261	4,534	22	669	23	3	5,785	1,029	18	7,087	1,644	23

Who is killed

In 2021, the individuals most often killed in crashes involving at least one alcohol-impaired driver (BAC ≥ 0.08 percent) were alcohol-impaired drivers (8,089 deaths), followed by occupants of other vehicles (2,085 deaths), nonoccupants (1,607 deaths), and passengers riding with an alcohol-impaired driver (1,603 deaths).

Fatalities in crashes involving at least one driver with a BAC ≥ 0.08 percent, 2021
Age	Alcohol-Impaired Drivers		Passengers Riding With Alcohol-Impaired Drivers		Occupants of Other Vehicles		Nonoccupants		Total*
Age	Deaths	%	Deaths	%	Deaths	%	Deaths	%	Deaths	%
0-15	10	0	173	11	115	5	34	2	332	2
16-20	465	6	249	16	193	9	78	5	986	7
21-30	2,339	29	497	31	391	19	270	17	3,497	26
31-40	1,934	24	250	16	341	16	326	20	2,851	21
41-50	1,302	16	170	11	281	13	259	16	2,013	15
51-60	1,123	14	112	7	296	14	286	18	1,818	14
61-70	597	7	65	4	231	11	213	13	1,106	8
>70	305	4	74	5	228	11	114	7	721	5
Total*	8,089	100	1,603	100	2,085	100	1,607	100	13,384	100
*Total includes other and/or unknowns

Age and sex

Among fatally injured passenger vehicle drivers in 2021, a higher proportion of males than females had BACs at or above 0.08 percent at every age. Overall, 33 percent of males and 23 percent of females had BACs at or above 0.08 percent. 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 percent by driver age and sex, 2021
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	1,220	318	26	487	94	19	1,710	413	24
21-30	3,274	1,456	44	1,219	444	36	4,496	1,903	42
31-40	2,639	1,106	42	1,066	328	31	3,712	1,436	39
41-50	1,943	728	37	720	185	26	2,665	914	34
51-60	1,940	605	31	742	147	20	2,683	751	28
61-70	1,617	347	21	610	76	12	2,229	423	19
>70	1,814	204	11	872	53	6	2,689	258	10
Total*	14,498	4,773	33	5,735	1,329	23	20,261	6,115	30
*Total includes other and/or unknowns

Among fatally injured passenger vehicle drivers in 2021, 24 percent of males and 17 percent of females had BACs at or above 0.15 percent.

Estimated number and percent of fatally injured passenger vehicle drivers with BACs ≥ 0.15 percent by driver age and sex, 2021
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	1,220	208	17	487	63	13	1,710	272	16
21-30	3,274	1,067	33	1,219	318	26	4,496	1,388	31
31-40	2,639	841	32	1,066	251	24	3,712	1,093	29
41-50	1,943	561	29	720	144	20	2,665	706	26
51-60	1,940	470	24	742	114	15	2,683	584	22
61-70	1,617	250	15	610	55	9	2,229	306	14
>70	1,814	136	7	872	35	4	2,689	172	6
Total*	14,498	3,541	24	5,735	984	17	20,261	4,534	22
*Total includes other and/or unknowns

Since the 1980s, the percentage of fatally injured passenger vehicle drivers with BACs at or above 0.08 percent 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 percent now is substantially lower than drivers ages 21-50.

Percent of fatally injured passenger vehicle drivers with BACs ≥ 0.08 percent by driver age, 1982-2021

Estimated number and percent of fatally injured passenger vehicle drivers with BACs ≥ 0.08 percent by driver age, 1982-2021
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	1,710	413	24	4,496	1,903	42	3,712	1,436	39	2,665	914	34	7,601	1,433	19

When alcohol-impaired crashes occur

Alcohol involvement in fatal crashes peaks at night. Between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m., 49 percent of fatally injured passenger vehicle drivers in 2021 had BACs at or above 0.08 percent, compared with 20 percent during other hours.

Estimated number and percent of fatally injured passenger vehicle drivers with high BACs by nighttime vs. other times, 2021
Time of day	Drivers killed	Estimated drivers killed with BACs ≥ 0.08		Estimated drivers killed with BACs ≥ 0.15
Time of day	Number	Number	%	Number	%
9 p.m. - 6 a.m.	6,990	3,453	49	2,584	37
Other hours	13,271	2,662	20	1,950	15
Total	20,261	6,115	30	4,534	22

The three-hour period with the highest percentage of driver fatalities with BACs of 0.08 percent 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, 2021
Time of day	Drivers killed	Estimated drivers killed with BACs ≥ 0.08		Estimated drivers killed with BACs ≥ 0.15
Time of day	Number	Number	%	Number	%
Midnight - 3 a.m.	2,505	1,432	57	1,084	43
3 a.m. - 6 a.m.	1,820	788	43	573	31
6 a.m. - 9 a.m.	2,240	371	17	253	11
9 a.m. - noon	2,158	244	11	182	8
Noon - 3 p.m.	2,758	350	13	252	9
3 p.m. - 6 p.m.	3,110	655	21	484	16
6 p.m. - 9 p.m.	2,834	958	34	714	25
9 p.m. - midnight	2,665	1,233	46	928	35
Total*	20,261	6,115	30	4,534	22
*Total includes other and/or unknowns

Forty-one percent of passenger vehicle drivers fatally injured on weekends (6 p.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Monday) in 2021 had BACs at or above 0.08 percent, compared with 23 percent at other times.

Estimated number and percent of fatally injured passenger vehicle drivers with high BACs by weekend vs. other times, 2021
	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)	7,933	3,277	41	2,434	31
Other times	12,328	2,838	23	2,101	17
Total	20,261	6,115	30	4,534	22

Alcohol involvement is very high in fatal nighttime (9 p.m. to 6 a.m.) single-vehicle crashes. In 2021, 59 percent of fatally injured passenger vehicle drivers in these crashes had BACs at or above 0.08 percent, and 44 percent had BACs at or above 0.15 percent. Five percent had BACs of 0.01 to 0.07 percent.

Estimated number and percent of fatally injured passenger vehicle drivers by BAC, time, and crash type, 2021
		Drivers killed	Estimated drivers killed with BACs = 0		Estimated drivers killed with 0.01 ≤ BACs ≤ 0.07		Estimated drivers killed with BACs ≥ 0.08		Estimated drivers killed with BACs ≥ 0.15
		Number	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
Single vehicle	Night	3,992	1,434	36	211	5	2,346	59	1,773	44
Single vehicle	Day	5,034	3,327	66	179	4	1,527	30	1,148	23
Multiple vehicle	Night	2,998	1,724	57	168	6	1,107	37	812	27
Multiple vehicle	Day	8,066	6,757	84	257	3	1,052	13	736	9