U.S. Alcohol-Related Traffic Deaths: 2010 Statistics

In 2010, 10,265 people died in alcohol-impaired driving crashes in the United States, accounting for 31% of all traffic fatalities that year (NHTSA data).

An alcohol-impaired driving fatality involves a driver with BAC ≥0.08 g/dL. The toll has declined since the 1980s but remains a leading preventable cause of death. All states now have 0.08% BAC laws; many have lower limits for commercial drivers (0.04%) and zero tolerance for <21.