Drug-involved driving consists of driving under the influence of illicit, prescription, or over-the-counter drugs. This includes polysubstance abuse, or the use of multiple drugs at the same time, which is an emerging concern identified by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the use of cannabis while driving.
Eliminating unsafe driving following substance abuse through enforcement is part of the Safe Road Users element of the United States Department of Transportation’s Safe System Approach. The data for drug-involved driving lacks uniformity due to lack of uniformity in testing procedures for drug use. Analyses from National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) presented in the Police Reported Drug-Involved program area include fatalities in crashes that involved a driver who tested positive for a drug that could cause impairment Analyses from the Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS) presented in this program area refer to drug involvement in fatalities and serious injuries where law enforcement reported the driver to be under the influence of drugs.
Data source: Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2017 – 2020 Final File & 2021 ARF
Nationally, 10903 people were killed in drug-involved traffic crashes in 2021.
In California, there were 751 people killed in drug-involved traffic crashes in 2021.
Drug-involved fatalities increased nationally by 1.0 percent between 2020 and 2021.
Drug-involved fatalities decreased in California 41.4 percent between 2020 and 2021.
Data sources: i) Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) ARF 2021; ii) Provisional Statewide Integrated Traffic Record System (SWITRS) 2021
The information in this section refers to all victims including drivers, passengers, bicyclists, and pedestrians fatally or seriously injured in a drug-involved crash in California in 2021.
| Ranking | Counties | Fatalities |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kern | 65 |
| 2 | Los Angeles | 49 |
| 2 | Riverside | 49 |
| 4 | Orange | 48 |
| 4 | San Bernardino | 44 |
| Ranking | County | Fatalities Per 100k Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lassen | 21.9 |
| 2 | Lake | 19.1 |
| 3 | Mono | 15.2 |
| 4 | Butte | 13.3 |
| 5 | Imperial | 11.2 |
| Ranking | County | Serious Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles | 72 |
| 2 | Riverside | 62 |
| 3 | San Diego | 55 |
| 4 | San Bernardino | 38 |
| 5 | Orange | 37 |
| Ranking | County | Serious Injuries Per 100k Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colusa | 27.5 |
| 2 | Madera | 10.9 |
| 3 | Glenn | 10.4 |
| 4 | Mendocino | 9.8 |
| 5 | Lassen | 9.4 |
Data sources: i) Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) ARF 2021; ii) Provisional Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS) 2021 iii) 2020 Census State Redistricting Data (P.L. 94-171) Summary File, U.S. Census Bureau
Drug-involved crashes are defined as crashes where law enforcement reported a driver or motorcyclist to have been under the influence of drugs. Therefore the majority of drug-involved crashes will have driving or biking under the influence of alcohol or drugs as a primary crash factor but some may have a different primary crash factor listed.
Note: Pedestrian violations occur when a pedestrian commits a violation, whereas a pedestrian right-of-way is defined as when a pedestrian’s right-of-way is violated. However, neither indicates which party is at fault for the crash. For more information on the different Crash Types, please see the Transportation Injury Mapping System (TIMS) Help FAQ page, in the Codebook - Crash Level Section
Data source: Provisional Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS) 2021
Driving or bicycling under the influence of alcohol or drugs was the most common primary crash factor in drug-involved FSI crashes in 2021 making up 80.8 percent, followed by unknown (7.4 percent) and unsafe speed (3.2 percent.)
Improper turning followed by pedestrian violation made up the fourth and fifth most common primary crash factor in drug-involved FSI crashes in 2021, accounting for 2.3 and 1.7 percent respectively.
Note: Urban and Rural areas are defined in the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) based on the boundaries decided by the US Census Bureau which considers population and housing density.
Data source: i) Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) ARF 2021; ii) California Public Road Data 2020. pp. 15-17, Table 4 2020 HPMS.
Urban crashes accounted for about two-third (66 percent) of all drug-involved fatal crashes in 2021 compared to the 34 percent that occurred on rural roads.
For comparison, 18.5 percent of travel in 2020 occurred on rural roads.
Principal arterials were the most common location for drug-involved fatal crashes in 2021 accounting for 29 percent.
Minor arterials, followed by major collectors made up the second and third most common crash locations in drug-involved fatal crashes in 2021 accounting for 22 and 16 percent respectively.
The fourth most common crash location was interstates which made up 12 percent of drug-involved fatal crashes in 2021.
Other Freeways and Expressways, Local streets, and Minor Collectors constitute the remaining 21 percent.
Note: For more information on the different Crash Types, please see the Transportation Injury Mapping System (TIMS) Help FAQ page, in the Codebook - Crash Level Section
Data source: Provisional Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS) 2021
Hit object crashes were the most common type of drug-involved FSI crashes in 2021 making up 33.8 percent, followed by broadside (17.5 percent) and head-on crashes (15.2 percent.)
Rear end crashes followed by overturned crashes made up the fourth and fifth most common type of drug-involved FSI crashes in 2021 accounting for 11.3 and 8.4 percent respectively.
Data sources: i) Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) ARF 2021; ii) Provisional Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS) 2021
45 percent of all fatal drug-involved crashes in 2021 occurred between 6pm on Friday and 6am on Monday.
38 percent of all serious injury drug-involved crashes in 2021 occurred between 6pm on Friday and 6am Monday.
Data sources: i) Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) ARF 2021; ii) Provisional Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS) 2021
Male victims made up 74 percent of all fatally injured victims while also making up 62 percent of all seriously injured victims in drug-involved crashes in 2021.
Male victims aged 15-34 were the most represented group in drug-involved crashes in 2021, making up 35.6 percent of fatalities and 28.3 of serious injuries.
Race was reported in only 43.9 percent of all drug-involved fatalities in 2021. Of the 330 fatalities of drug-involved crashes in 2021 with a known race, 81 percent were white.