DUI Accident Statistics

A drunk driving accident is a collision that involves a driver who operates a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or other intoxicants. Victims of drunk driving accidents sustain serious and sometimes irreversible injuries. They often bear the consequences of someone else's poor judgment and decision to get behind the wheel of a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. If you have been injured by a drunk driver, the PA personal injury lawyers at Cherry, Fieger and Marciano LLP can help you obtain the justice and compensation you rightfully deserve.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) releases DUI accident statistics every year. The numbers speak for themselves. Whether they are national or Pennsylvania DUI statistics, the numbers show in a clear and tangible manner, that driving under the influence not only claims lives, but can have devastating effect on victims and their families.

2008 Alcohol-Related Crashes in the United States (NHTSA)

• In 2008, 11,733 were killed as a result of alcohol-related collisions.
• Drunk driving accident fatalities accounted for more than 30 percent of the total number of fatalities in the United States.
• Statistics show that 1,347 children, ages 14 or younger, were killed as a result of alcohol-related crashes.
• People between the ages of 21 and 24 accounted for nearly 35 percent of all alcohol impaired drivers who died in accidents in 2008.
• Underage drinkers accounted for 17 percent of all drivers who were involving in DUI crashes.
• Nearly 75 percent of drunk drivers killed in accidents in 2008 were not buckled up.
• Drunk drivers killed in car crashes in 2008 were eight times more likely to have had a prior DUI conviction.

Pennsylvania Drunk Driving Statistics

• Pennsylvania's alcohol-related fatalities were highest in 1982 with 1,048 deaths reported. That year, 58 percent of all traffic accident deaths in the state were alcohol-related
• In 2008, 1,468 people died as a result of traffic accidents in Pennsylvania
• 578 people died in alcohol-related collisions in 2008. That number accounts for 39 percent of all traffic accident fatalities
• Also 496 incidents or 34 percent of all alcohol-related fatal crashes involved a blood alcohol content of 0.08 percent or higher