Drunk Driving In Virginia: How State Ranks For Fatal Crashes

VIRGINIA — More than 300 people die in drunk driving crashes the week between Christmas and New Year's nationwide, the U.S. Department of Transportation reports. Georgia ranks 37th in the U.S. for impaired driving deaths, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and other data.

The study from SafeWise, a website that reviews home security systems, looked at impaired driving deaths per state and wasn’t limited to New Year’s Eve fatalities. It showed there were 2.9 drunken or impaired driving deaths per 100,000 people in Virginia in all of 2017.

The study showed the five states with the highest rates of impaired driving deaths are Wyoming (7.59 per 100,000 people), South Carolina (6.22 per 100,000 people), North Dakota (6.08 per 100,000 people), New Mexico (5.74 per 100,000 people) and Alabama (5.49 per 100,000 people).

At the other end of the spectrum, the states with the lowest rates of impaired driving deaths are New Jersey (1.38 per 100,000 people), New York (1.48 per 100,000 people), Minnesota (1.52 per 100,000 people), Utah (1.70 per 100,000 people) and Massachusetts (1.74 per 100,000 people).

The SafeWise study also found:

• Eighty percent of the most dangerous states for impaired driving were also in the top five in 2016. Wyoming was a newcomer in 2017, replacing Montana, which fell to No. 6 with 5.33 impaired driving fatalities per capita.
• Every state in the five worst (except Wyoming) decreased its rate of drunken driving deaths year over year in 2017.
• Eighty percent of the worst states have no minimum jail time for first-time driving-under-the-influence offenders. South Carolina is the outlier with two days for a first offense.
• The majority of U.S. states require mandatory alcohol abuse assessment or treatment after a DUI conviction, but neither is required in four out of the five worst states for drunken driving deaths.
• Among the five states with the most drunken driving deaths, the average minimum fine for the first DUI conviction is $300, compared to $524 among the five states with the fewest drunk driving deaths.

To arrive at the rankings, SafeWise compared the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data with 2017 Census population estimates, among other sources.

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— By Beth Dalbey

Photo via Shutterstock