BREAKING: Texas Has Highest Percentage of Fatal DWI Crashes
For many years other states have ranked as the #1 state for having the highest number of drivers over the legal alcohol limit (0.08 g/dl or higher) involved in fatal crashes. It appears now that Texas and Connecticut are tied for the highest percentage of fatal crashes.
However, over the last five months of 2023, Texas leapt ahead and is now #1 for fatal crashes caused by drunk drivers. Connecticut is #2, Rhode Island is #3, Montana is #4, and Washington is #5. At the other end of the spectrum for the lowest percentage of drivers over the legal alcohol limit are Utah, Kentucky, Kansas, Mississippi, and West Virginia.
Some sobering facts in Texas are that eight deaths per 100,000 population were male and three per 100,000 deaths were female. The most sobering fact of all is of those surveyed by the CDC in the past 30 days, 2.2% of Texas adults admitted to driving after excessive drinking.
What is most alarming is the age of those who lost their lives due to a drunk driver in Texas. On average there were 5.3 deaths per 100,000 population of those age 0-20 years old, five deaths per 100,000 population of persons 21-34 years old, and 3.2 deaths per 100,000 of persons age 35+.
All law enforcement agencies from local police departments to county sheriff's offices and the Texas Department of Public Safety have begun to publicize sobriety checkpoints with a more visible saturation of officers on patrol. Keep in mind that if you cause a fatality while driving intoxicated you will be financially responsible for providing income to that person's children until they graduate from college.
Sources: NHTSA, CDC, Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers
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