What states have the highest rates of drunk driving?

Every 40 minutes, someone in the U.S. dies because of a drunk driver. Despite decades of public awareness campaigns and stricter DUI laws, drunk driving claimed more than 13,000 lives in 2022 alone. While national efforts have reduced drunk driving incidents over the past 30 years, the problem remains persistent.
To stay safe, drivers can take precautions like avoiding high-risk situations and ensuring they have adequate car insurance to protect themselves and their vehicles in case of an accident. However, it’s equally important to understand where drunk driving is most prevalent and how it impacts safety on the roads.
We identified the states with the highest rates of drunk driving by analyzing data on DUI-related fatalities and arrest rates. Keep reading to see where your state stands.
South Carolina had the highest rate of drunk driving-related deaths in the U.S. in 2022, with 9.2 deaths per 100,000 people in 2022.
Jump to insightMassachusetts had the lowest rate, with 1.8 deaths per 100,000 people in 2022 — less than half the national average.
Jump to insightSouth Dakota had the highest rate of DUI arrests in 2023, at 61.4 arrests per 100,000 people, more than three times the national average.
Jump to insightHalf of the 10 worst states for drunk driving are in the West: Wyoming, New Mexico, Montana, Oregon and Arizona.
Jump to insightIs drunk driving getting worse?
Drunk driving has been a public safety concern for decades, leading to stricter laws and public awareness campaigns. But has the problem improved, or is it getting worse?
To answer this question, we analyzed 30 years of FBI data on DUI arrests. What the data reveals may surprise you.
Since the early 1990s, the rate of DUI arrests has plummeted across the United States, though since 2020, arrests have remained the same or ticked up in many states after a decrease in arrests early in the COVID-19 pandemic.
The overall decline over the past 30 years has been driven by increased public education on the issue and harsher and more consistent punishments. It was not until the early 2000s that a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .08% or higher became the standard for impaired driving.
Still, despite the decline in arrests, drunk drivers continue to pose significant danger on the roadways. In 2021 and 2022, more than 13,000 people died in crashes involving a drunk driver, marking the highest numbers since 2007 and a significant increase over the fewer than 10,000 deaths recorded in 2014.
Five worst states for drunk driving
About one-third of all traffic fatalities in the U.S. involve drunk drivers, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. While every state works to address this issue, DUIs vary significantly nationally, with higher rates of DUIs and traffic fatalities concentrated in the Southern and Western regions of the country.
1. South Carolina
83.3 out of 100 points
Despite falling in the middle of the pack for its rate of DUI arrests, South Carolina had by far the greatest rate of fatalities stemming from crashes involving a drunk driver in 2022.
The state’s notoriety for that ranking has sparked efforts to tighten South Carolina’s DUI laws.
"I think we have to trace our nation's worst drunk driving problem in South Carolina directly back to the state of our laws," Steven Burritt, a regional executive director with Mothers Against Drunk Driving, told WCNC in Charlotte, North Carolina, this year.
Advocates in the state are pushing for a bill during the state’s upcoming legislative session to eliminate a requirement for dashcam video in DUI convictions.
- Percentage of traffic deaths involving a drunk driver: 43% (first in the U.S.)
- Number of fatalities involving a drunk driver per 100,000 people: 9.2 (first)
- Number of DUI arrests per 100,000 people: 22 (27th)
- Number of drunk drivers involved in fatal crashes per 100,000 people: 11.1 (first)
2. Texas
61.4 out of 100 points
Alongside South Carolina and Rhode Island, Texas was the only other state in 2022 where more than 40% of traffic deaths involved a drunk driver. This problem has extended to underage drivers in Texas, as the state recorded the highest rate of drivers under 21 involved in deadly crashes, at 1.5 per 100,000 people.
While the statistic involving underage drunk drivers was not a factor in our overall ranking, Texas’ position atop that data underscores the state’s struggles with keeping roads safe from impaired drivers, even as fewer Texans are arrested for driving under the influence than those in many other states.
- Percentage of traffic deaths involving a drunk driver: 42% (third in the U.S.)
- Number of fatalities involving a drunk driver per 100,000 people: 6.4 (fifth)
- Number of DUI arrests per 100,000 people: 16.7 (37th)
- Number of drunk drivers involved in fatal crashes per 100,000 people: 7.9 (third)
3. Wyoming
60.6 out of 100 points
Despite having the smallest population in the nation, Wyoming ranked well for both drunk driver-involved fatalities and DUI arrests.
While alcohol use contributes to these rates, Wyoming faces broader challenges with driver behavior — both sober and impaired. The state ranks as one of the worst for driving in the nation, with a high number of speeding-related fatalities.
- Percentage of traffic deaths involving a drunk driver: 30% (25th in the U.S.)
- Number of fatalities involving a drunk driver per 100,000 people: 6.9 (third)
- Number of DUI arrests per 100,000 people: 52.9 (third)
- Number of drunk drivers involved in fatal crashes per 100,000 people: 6.6 (eighth)
4. New Mexico
60.2 out of 100 points
New Mexico ranks near the top of the nation for its rate of fatalities involving a drunk driver and for the number of drunk drivers involved in fatal crashes.
New Mexico is considered to have lenient DUI laws compared with other states; there is no mandatory minimum jail time for first offenses, while in neighboring Arizona, the mandatory minimum jail time for a first DUI offense is 10 days.
- Percentage of traffic deaths involving a drunk driver: 33% (19th in the U.S.)
- Number of fatalities involving a drunk driver per 100,000 people: 7.2 (second)
- Number of DUI arrests per 100,000 people: 24.3 (18th)
- Number of drunk drivers involved in fatal crashes per 100,000 people: 9.2 (second)
5. Montana
56.4 out of 100 points
Rounding out the top five is another state in the Mountain West. Montana ranks highly due to high rates of deaths in crashes involving a drunk driver, DUI arrests and drunk drivers involved in fatal crashes.
Despite the high number of arrests, advocacy groups like Mothers Against Drunk Driving have been critical of the state’s driving laws. In 2019, the group gave the state 0.5 stars out of 5 for its DUI laws, the worst rating in the nation.
- Percentage of traffic deaths involving a drunk driver: 34% (12th in the U.S.)
- Number of fatalities involving a drunk driver per 100,000 people: 6.5 (fourth)
- Number of DUI arrests per 100,000 people: 29.5 (ninth)
- Number of drunk drivers involved in fatal crashes per 100,000 people: 7.4 (fifth)
Annual drunk driving rates by state
While some states continue to struggle with higher rates of DUIs and fatalities involving drunk drivers, the past 30 years have seen states make significant progress. In 2023, there were fewer than half as many DUI arrests per 100,000 people recorded nationally as there were in the early 1990s.
Methodology
To determine the states with the highest rates of drunk driving, we analyzed four metrics in all 50 states. Each metric was weighted 25%. The state with the highest number in each category was given a score of 25 points; other states were scored relative to how their numbers compared with the highest number. We then added the scores together to get a final score, which is out of 100. We used population figures from the U.S. Census Bureau.
- Percentage of total traffic deaths caused by drivers with a BAC of 0.08% or higher (over the legal limit), using 2022 data from the NHTSA
- Number of people killed in crashes involving a drunk driver per 100,000 people, using 2022 data from the NHTSA
- Number of DUI arrests per 100,000 people, using 2023 data from the FBI
- Number of drunk drivers involved in fatal crashes per 100,000 people, using 2022 data from NHTSA
We also collected supplementary data for our story, including the number of underage drunk drivers per 100,000 people by state (NHTSA, 2022) and 30-year national DUI arrest rates per 100,000 people (FBI, 1993-2023). These metrics were not factored into our overall ranking.
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Article Sources
ConsumerAffairs writers primarily rely on government data, industry experts and original research from other reputable publications to inform their work. Specific sources for this article include:
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, “Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS).” Accessed Jan. 8, 2025.
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, “Drunk Driving.” Accessed Jan. 13, 2025.
- U.S. Census Bureau, “Explore Census Data.” Accessed Jan. 8, 2025.
- FBI, “Crime Data Explorer.” Accessed Jan. 8, 2025.
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, “0.08 BAC Sanction.” Accessed Jan. 13, 2025.
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, “Persons Killed, by Highest Driver Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) in the Crash, 1994 - 2022 - State : USA.” Accessed Jan. 4, 2025.
- WCNC-TV, “South Carolina leads the nation in deadly drunk driving. A new bill hopes to fix it.” Accessed Jan. 8, 2025.
- Mothers Against Drunk Driving, “MADD Rates all 50 States on Drunk Driving Laws.” Accessed Jan. 8, 2025.
- Arizona Department of Transportation, “Driving Under the Influence (DUI).” Accessed Jan. 8, 2025.
- NMOneSource.com, “66-8-102. Driving under the influence of intoxicating liquor or drugs; aggravated driving under the influence of intoxicating liquor or drugs; penalties.” Accessed Jan. 13, 2025.