During holidays, more Connecticut residents drink more alcoholic beverages. While many are safe, this increases the risk of more drunk driving accidents occurring. Certain holidays see more of this problem.
What are the worst holidays for drunk driving?
Drunk driving occurs all year long, but it is a worse problem during the holidays. Certain holidays see more people consuming more alcohol and putting more people at risk when they end up getting behind the wheel. In recent years, Memorial Day marked the deadliest holiday for drunk driving accidents. However, New Year’s Eve is the holiday that has the most fatalities stemming from such accidents.
How many people are killed by drunk drivers?
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration or NHTSA, fatal car accidents have decreased by 14% between 2004 and 2018. However, 30% of the deaths that occurred in car accidents were due to drunk driving.
In Connecticut, 38% of car accidents were fatal. Out of that percentage, 1,611 of the deaths stemmed from drunk driving. People between the ages of 16 and 24 were those affected the most by fatal car accidents with 36% of the fatalities affecting those within that age group. People between the ages of 25 and 54 were the next highest affected by accidents caused by drivers under the influence of alcohol.
Local roads were the ones most commonly affected by drunk driving accidents. They also accounted for the largest percentage of deaths from those crashes. For over the past 20 years, around 36% of fatal crashes due to alcohol have occurred on local county roads.
Staying safe when driving is important. If you have your vehicle and will be drinking, finding an alternative to driving home is a must. It can prevent a potential accident from occurring and save lives, including your own.
