Traffic Deaths Decreased Last Year, But Holiday Drunk Driving Dangers Remain

This time of year is rife with merriment -- but sometimes, it's all too easy to go overboard. And if you get behind the wheel of a car after a drunken holiday celebration, the risks are high. While fatal car crashes did decrease in 2019, experts are concerned that the pandemic won't keep intoxicated drivers off the road this season. The good news is that traffic deaths seem to be on the decline overall. In 2019, Americans used approximately 142 billion gallons of motor gasoline (averaging 390 million gallons per day). But even though we drove a lot last year, some statistics show that we're driving more safely in general. Statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reveal that road fatalities decreased for the third year in a row, with deaths in passenger cars dropping by 5% year over year. In fact, fatal road crashes involving alcohol and impaired drivers actually decreased by 5.3% last year -- though deaths involving distracted drivers increased by a staggering 9.9%. But while the rate of death per 100 million miles dropped to 1.1 from 1.14 the year prior (representing the lowest rate since 2014), many experts are still concerned about intoxicated drivers during the holiday season.</P Car-related crimes do tend to rise over the holidays. Although one motor vehicle theft is reported every 41 seconds in the U.S. under normal circumstances, car break-ins tend to climb to new heights during Christmastime. Not surprisingly, drunk driving incidents also become even more prevalent right around the holidays. And despite the fact that drivers have 10 days to properly request a DUI hearing in California (with similar laws in other states), some may be worried about those who will never see their day in court. Judging by the increases in drunk driving incidents over the Thanksgiving holiday, it makes sense that law enforcement officers and private citizens alike would be concerned about drunk driving. Despite decreases in traffic thanks to the pandemic, NHTSA saw spikes in impaired driving during Thanksgiving. And because data shows that fatal drunk driving crashes comprised more than a third of holiday-related deadly accidents from 2010 to 2018, many are wary of getting in their vehicles -- even while sober -- during this time of year. A survey from DriversEd.com conducted in 2019 found that 62% of Americans were more fearful of drunk drivers than of hazardous road conditions during the holiday season. While the pandemic has changed a lot, it hasn't necessarily changed how people behave when they consume alcohol. Although traffic fatalities are on a downward trajectory, it's important that drivers refrain from getting behind the wheel while intoxicated this holiday. That, for some, is as good an excuse as any to just stay home.