Age

Car crashes are the leading cause of death for teens, and about a quarter of those crashes involve an underage drinking driver.

In 2019, 24% of young drivers 15 to 20 years old who were killed in crashes had BACs of . 01 g/dL or higher. 

In 2016, young drivers, 16-24 years old, made up 39 percent of drivers involved in fatal alcohol-impaired crashes.

To reduce alcohol-related fatal crashes among youth, all states have adopted a minimum legal drinking age of 21. NHTSA estimates that minimum drinking age laws have saved 31,959 lives from 1975 to 2017.

Young adults 25-34 make up another 29 percent of fatal alcohol-impaired driving crashes. Men are most likely to be involved in this type of crash, with 4 male alcohol-impaired drivers for every female impaired driver.