Report Reveals Troubling Facts About Drunk Driving

April 2008

Data obtained by the National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that an average of 15 percent of adult drivers got behind the wheel while intoxicated last year. The report also revealed which age groups and which areas of the country are more prone to drunken driving.

A clear link between age and drunk driving emerged in the report, which surveyed 127,283 adults from 2004-2006. The likelihood of driving under the influence peaked in the 21- to 25- year-old age group, with almost 30 percent of respondents saying they drove while intoxicated in the past year. The study found that over 46 percent of this age group reported themselves as binge alcohol drinkers. Rates of drunk driving declined with age.

The upper Midwest has the highest incidence of drunken driving, with Wisconsin at the top of the list. The federal government estimates that more than 25 percent of the state's adult residents have driven while drunk. Utah had the lowest drunk driving rates. It was the only state where fewer than 10 percent of adult motorists reported driving while under the influence.