The Highest Drunk Driving Fatality Rates in the United States [Interactive Map]

From ButlerWootenpeak.com February, 2020

Which states have the highest fatality rate in the country? The map below compares drunk driving fatality rates per 100,000 population for each state in the United States, ranking them from highest to lowest. Using data from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration for the 2018 year (the newest data available), we analyzed over 34,000 fatal crashes and looked only at crashes where alcohol was a factor. In total, nearly 25% of all fatal crashes in 2018 involved the use of alcohol.

In this interactive map below, you can hover over any state to see the corresponding drunk driving fatality rate, along with its current ranking from 1-51 (1 being the highest (worst) fatality rate and 51 being the lowest (best) rate).

(Hawaii Ranks 46th of 51—5th best.)

2018 ALCOHOL-INVOLVED CRASH FATALITY RATES BY STATE

In 2018, Montana had the highest alcohol-involved crash fatality rate with 8.28 deaths per 100,000 people – a total of 88 fatalities as a result of crashes involving the use of alcohol. Wyoming ranks second with a rate of 6.06 fatalities per capita, while South Carolina follows closely behind with a rate of 5.74.

As far as the lowest rates in the nation? The District of Columbia is at the bottom, with just 0.77 fatalities per 100,000. This is followed by New York with a 1.11 rate, and New Jersey with 1.35 fatalities per capita.

YEAR-OVER-YEAR CHANGES IN ALCOHOL-INVOLVED CRASH FATALITY RATES

These rankings accurately reflect the result of year-over-year changes in alcohol-involved crash fatalities and their corresponding rates per capita. In 2017, Wyoming had the highest alcohol-involved crash fatality rate in the United States. However, a significant decrease in alcohol-involved crash fatalities led to an 18.60% decrease in rate, bumping it down to second place. The inverse occurred with Montana: an increase in alcohol-involved fatalities in 2018 led to a 22.22% increase in rate.

Overall, alcohol-involved crash fatality rates have, for the most part, decreased from that of the previous year: only 13 states reported an increase in rates from 2017 to 2018.

Notable positive changes to alcohol-involved crash fatality rate include:

--Washington, D.C. – the largest rate decrease in the nation with a 64.29% decrease in alcohol-involved crash fatalities per capita.
--Connecticut – a 37.61% decrease in alcohol-involved crash fatality rate
--North Dakota – a 35.29% decrease
--Hawaii – a 26.83% decrease

Notable negative changes to alcohol-involved crash fatality rate include:

--New Hampshire – the largest rate increase in the nation, and the most dramatic change on the list, with a 74.07% increase. This increase in alcohol-involved crash fatalities is enough to take New Hampshire from the bottom ten in 2017 to 20th place in 2018.
--Alaska – a year-over-year increase of 10 alcohol-involved crash fatalities resulted in a 45.45% increase in rate, the third highest change on the list.

read … Drunk Driving Rates