During the first half of 2025, NHTSA figures tell us that 17,140 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes. Many of those crashes are down to speeding and drunk driving, with a high proportion due to the two factors combined.
This study will consider primary data to uncover the details around speeding and drunk driving, and who’s most at risk of a car crash on U.S. roads. We’ll look at when crashes happen and why, the male and female danger differential, plus the states in which most and least drunk driving arrests are made.
And we’ll consider the extent to which speeding and drunk driving are intertwined when it comes to road accident statistics. Let’s first consider those two accident factors, drunk driving and speeding, starting with the latter cause.
Speeding: Crash Statistics and Factors
In 2023, 11,775 people died in speeding-related crashes: that’s 29% of the year’s total traffic fatality numbers, with an additional 332,598 people injured due to speeding (14% of total injury numbers).
37% of male and 18% of female drivers among 15-to-20-year-olds involved in fatal traffic crashes in 2023 were speeding, the highest rate among all age groups.
Although the time of the event is not always recorded, study data confirms that 16% of 2023 speeding fatalities occurred during the daytime, with 21% confirmed as having happened at night. Data also confirms the following features of speeding fatalities.
- Wintry conditions (41%)
- Dry roads (18%)
- Wet roads (22%)
- Snow-filled/slushy roads (34%)
- Sand, mud, oil, dirt, standing or moving water, or gravel (36%).
Drunk Driving: Crash Statistics and Factors
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, around one million people are arrested every year in the U.S. for driving while alcohol-impaired.
Data covering a broad number of years also confirms that alcohol is a factor in almost a third (30%) of all motor vehicle deaths. Based on the fatality rate during the first half of 2025, that amounts to over 5,000 fatalities over the same period, and over 10,000 across the full year. In 2023, there was a drunk driving fatality every 42 minutes.
Of the 12,429 people who died in drunk driving crashes in 2023, 7,494 (60%) were drivers over the legal alcohol limit. The remaining fatalities consisted of 1,571 passengers riding with alcohol impaired drivers (13%), 1,980 occupants of other vehicles (16%), and 1,384 nonoccupants (11%).
Compared to other age groups in 2023, the 21-24 year-old age group represented the highest percentage (28%) of alcohol-impaired drivers involved in fatal traffic crashes.
During the same period, the percentage of drunk drivers involved in fatal traffic crashes was slightly higher for motorcycle riders (26%) than for drivers of passenger cars (24%), light trucks (20%), or large trucks (4%).
There were also almost three times as many fatal drunk driving crashes at night (69%) as during the day (27%). Of crashes featuring the relevant data, 3% happened at dusk, with 1% occurring at dawn. 61% of fatal drunk driving crashes happen in urban areas, with 39% taking place in a rural setting.
The Male/Female Drunk Driving Differential
During 2023, more drunk driving males (22%) were involved in fatal traffic crashes than females (16%). In fact, new NHTSA research confirms that women are at higher risk of injury than men during all kinds of vehicular crashes.
According to the study, women were significantly more likely than men to suffer an injury in 26% of 150 crash injury models, and generally at a higher risk of moderate injuries. The study goes on to suggest that women are subject to a:
- 46% higher injury risk in frontal crashes
- 55% higher injury risk in rollover crashes
- 62% higher risk for lower extremity injuries in frontal crashes (including injuries to the knee, thigh, hip, leg, foot, and ankle)
- 128% higher risk of injuries to the foot and ankle in frontal crashes.
A previous NHTSA report focused on the comparative crash fatality risk between men and women and found that the newer the vehicle, the smaller the gender disparity. For example, the overall fatality gap between women and men drops from between 18% and 6.3% for 2010-2020 vehicles to 2.9% for 2015-20 vehicles.
One key issue regarding the higher injury risk women face in car crashes is the male-centric nature of car design. It was only as recently as January 26, 2026, that the U.S. Government approved the use of a female crash test dummy. In future years, as carmakers factor in findings from female crash test dummies, the likelihood of women experiencing such disproportionate injury vulnerability should decrease.
Although we’ve taken a broad measure of drunk driving fatality statistics, it’s also worth considering where in the U.S. the highest (and lowest) number of drunk driving arrests are recorded.
And it’s clear from the list of states subject to the most drunk driving arrests that remote rural areas feature the highest proportion of the population caught over the limit at the wheel.
Top 10 States: Drunk Driving Arrests (data: FBI/Dept of Transportation)
| State | Arrests (per 100k drivers) |
|---|---|
| South Dakota | 879.12 |
| North Dakota | 832.5 |
| Wyoming | 629.12 |
| Alaska | 553.76 |
| Idaho | 519.65 |
| Nevada | 502.9 |
| Wisconsin | 486.64 |
| Minnesota | 466.68 |
| Vermont | 460.5 |
| Maine | 456.98 |
The list of places featuring the fewest drunk driving arrests includes a mix of busy metro areas and rural states.
Bottom 10 States: Drunk Driving Arrests (data as above)
| State | DUI Arrests Per 100k Drivers |
|---|---|
| Delaware | 42.57 |
| Illinois | 69.83 |
| Florida | 93.95 |
| Louisiana | 116.05 |
| Alabama | 130.53 |
| Ohio | 139.1 |
| Massachusetts | 160.79 |
| New York | 163.97 |
| North Carolina | 201.48 |
| West Virginia | 217.29 |
When drunk drivers crash and cause fatalities, they’re often speeding. And a large number of fatal speeding crashes feature drivers with varying quantities of alcohol in their system, with any amount potentially dangerous.
Alcohol and Speeding: Combined Factors
Drivers are considered alcohol-impaired once their blood alcohol content (BAC) is above .08 g/dL. Drivers who are considered ‘alcohol-influenced’ are those with even small amounts of alcohol in their system (a BAC of .01 g/dL or higher).
According to study data, drivers involved in a fatal speeding crash were more frequently alcoholically impaired than they were sober. Specific data points include:
- 38% of speeding drivers involved in fatal crashes had some alcohol in their system
- 25% were alcoholically impaired (only 10% of non-speeding drivers involved in a fatal crash were impaired)
- Only 16% of non-speeding drivers were impaired.
- Only 20% of non-speeding drivers had any alcohol in their system.
The data clearly establishes an exacerbating link between alcohol and speed when it comes to measuring fatal crashes, with more people dying when both factors combine.
But which age groups are most at risk of fatal crashes involving both alcohol and speed?
21-24 Year-Old Drivers
- 52% of drivers involved in fatal crashes were speeding.
- 41% of speeding drivers had some alcohol in their system.
- 27% of drivers were alcohol-impaired; 14% had a BAC of .15 or above.
25-34 Year-Old Drivers
- 50% of drivers involved in fatal crashes were speeding, 50% were not.
- 44% of speeding drivers had some alcohol in their system, the highest of any age group.
- 30% of drivers were alcohol-impaired; 14% had a BAC of .15 or above.
Underage Drivers
- 67% of drivers under the age of 21 who were involved in fatal crashes were speeding.
- 28% of speeding drivers had some alcohol in their system.
- 15% of drivers were alcohol-impaired (despite legal drinking age restrictions).
35-54 Year-Old Drivers
- Between 52 and 55% of drivers involved in fatal crashes were speeding.
- 43% of speeding drivers aged 35-44, and 41% of drivers aged 45-54 had some alcohol in their system.
- 18-21% of drivers were alcohol-impaired, with 11-12% recorded at BAC .15 or above.
Older Drivers (55+)
When we consider drivers aged over 55, the data shows that their involvement in speeding incidents steadily declines as they get older.
- Speeding incidents decline by 60% at ages 55-64
- They then decline by 74% at ages 65-74.
- And by the age of 75 and over, they decline by 83%.
Similarly, the number of drivers over the age of 55 who were involved in speeding incidents that also featured illegal alcohol levels gradually fell as drivers aged.
- Only 14% of drivers aged 65-74 involved in speeding incidents had alcohol in their system.
- For drivers aged 75 and older, the figure was just 8%.
- Drivers with a recorded BAC of over .15 drop to between 4 and 7%.
Here’s a quick comparative overview of the types of drivers involved in fatal crashes involving speeding and both speeding and alcohol (2023 figures). Motorcycles clearly feature the most, with passenger cars second.
One of the reasons there are more fatal crashes at nighttime as opposed to daytime is the prevalence of post-work socializing, which often involves both drinking and driving.
The Post-Workday Socializing Factor
According to Alcohol.org, the average American worker spends over $3,000 a year on post-workday drinks, with 1 in 3 workers believing that drinks at the end of the daily shift improve team bonding.
The average post-workday drinking session lasts just under 2 (1.8) hours, with 1 in 10 post-dayshift workers drinking shots, and many enjoying the benefits of the 4-6 pm happy hour drink offers.
NHTSA data confirms that of the 5,343 alcohol-impaired drivers involved in fatal weekday crashes, 3,508 took place during the evening.
While between midnight and 3 am on Friday and Saturday night is the time when the highest proportion of drunk driving fatalities occur, the hours between 6 pm and 8 pm also represent a key danger window. And not coincidentally, these are the hours during which the majority of employees drive home after enjoying post-work drinks.
Speeding and Drinking: A Toxic Cocktail
Both speeding and drunk driving are extremely dangerous and kill thousands of Americans every year. And as this study clearly illustrates, alcohol is a significant factor in fatal speeding crashes.
Although the issue diminishes as drivers age, young adults (21-34) are especially likely to combine high speeds with drunk driving.
And when we look at fatal crashes that involve speeding, far more feature drivers with very high BAC levels (.15 and above) than fatal crashes that are not speeding-related. Additionally, far more fatal crashes that combine speeding and alcohol occur at night as opposed to during the daytime, partly due to post-work socializing.
Drivers involved in a fatal speeding crash were more frequently alcoholically impaired than they were sober
An additional issue is the disparity between male and female injuries in serious car accidents. Women involved in crashes suffer significantly more than men due to a lack of female-centric crash design, a factor that’s only just beginning to be rectified.
Overall, it’s clear that speeding and alcohol are consistently intertwined features of a disproportionate number of fatal car crashes. Until more post-work drinkers choose a ridesharing option or find a way home that doesn’t involve getting behind the wheel while under the influence of alcohol, a significant element of the problem will continue.
Perhaps more precedents are needed, such as the one initiated by the Oregon Supreme Court in 2019, which established that employers who organize or encourage after-work drinking may be liable for consequences.
And more cross-state consistency is needed when it comes to punishing drunk driving offenses.
Currently, the consequences range from Wisconsin treating an initial drunk driving offense as a civil infraction, not a criminal misdemeanor, to Missouri, which includes a potential tariff of 15 years for a drunk driving offense.
You can get professional help securing compensation for your losses after an automobile collision. Our team at Bana Law understands what it takes to assist clients in your situation; you can rely on a skilled Los Angeles car accident lawyer from our firm.
