U.S. Counties with the Worst Drunk-Driving Problem

Despite a variety of efforts aimed at reducing drunk driving, such as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign, the number of alcohol-impaired driving fatalities has remained relatively consistent over the past decade.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 10,511 people were killed in drunk-driving accidents in 2018, representing 29 percent of all driving fatalities.

Nationwide, it is illegal for drivers to have a blood-alcohol content (BAC) exceeding 0.08 g/dL. However, in 2018, 19 percent of the drivers involved in fatal crashes had a BAC of at least 0.08 and these drivers were often repeated offenders.

Alcohol-impaired drivers involved in fatal accidents were more likely than other drivers to have previous DWI convictions, speeding convictions, and license suspensions or revocations.

Drunk drivers are not the only ones affected by the decision to drive while impaired. In fact, in 2018, only 61 percent of the alcohol-related traffic fatalities were the drunk drivers themselves.

Instead, 13 percent were passengers in the same vehicle, 15 percent were occupants in other vehicles, and 11 percent were nonoccupants such as pedestrians and cyclists. Roughly 10 percent of these alcohol-related traffic fatalities were children under the age of 14.

While drunk driving is a nationwide problem, some individual states struggle more than others. For example, in Texas, 40 percent of traffic deaths involve an impaired driver; nationally, that number is 29 percent.

Over the past five years, Texas accounted for 13.8 percent of all drunk-driving fatalities in the U.S., despite accounting for only 8.8 percent of the population.

Other states that are known for having high proportions of alcohol-related fatalities include Connecticut and North Dakota, both at 39 percent.

At a more granular level, some individual counties also have significantly above-average alcohol-related traffic fatality rates. To find which U.S. counties have the highest percentage of traffic fatalities involving a drunk driver, our researchers at AutoInsuranceEZ.com analyzed 2014-2018 data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System.

Counties were ranked according to the percentage of fatalities between 2014 and 2018 that involved at least one driver having a blood-alcohol level exceeding 0.08 mg/dL, a level that is illegal in all 50 U.S. states. In the event of a tie, the county with the higher per capita rate of alcohol-related fatalities was ranked higher.

To improve relevance, our researchers grouped counties into cohorts based on population: large counties (750,000 or more), midsize counties (350,000-749,999), and small counties (200,000-349,999). Among the 15 large counties with the most drunk-driving deaths, 10 are located in Texas.

Texas is also disproportionately represented among small and midsize counties as well. Here are the counties with the largest share of traffic fatalities involving a drunk driver.

Large Counties with the Worst Drunk-Driving Problem