Introduction
Alcohol-impaired driving, for which data was obtained from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), refers to fatal crashes in which at least one driver or motorcyclist was estimated to have a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or greater. Alcohol-involved crashes, for which the data is obtained from the Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), include fatal and serious injury crashes where law enforcement reported a driver or motorcyclist to have been drinking, without specific details of BAC. For more information on how the fatalities in the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) are calculated please see the section entitled Estimated FARS Fatalities at the bottom of the webpage.
Eliminating unsafe driving following consumption of alcohol through enforcement is part of the Safe Road Users element of the United States Department of Transportation’s Safe System Approach.
While alcohol-impaired driving fatalities have fallen significantly in the last three decades, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that alcohol-impaired driving still comprises a large percentage of traffic injuries and fatalities.