During the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is sharing information to keep you safe on the roads. NHTSA is working diligently to remind drivers that Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving. Read the U.S. statistics below and help spread this life-saving message.

Thanksgiving Statistics

• In 2021, 190 people died in alcohol-impaired driving crashes during the Thanksgiving holiday period (6 p.m. Wednesday, November 24 through 5:59 a.m. Monday, November 29). From 2017-2021, 832 people died in alcohol-impaired driving crashes during the entire Thanksgiving holiday period (6 p.m. the Wednesday before Thanksgiving through 5:59 a.m. the Monday after Thanksgiving).


• During the 2021 Thanksgiving holiday period, more than four times as many drivers involved in fatal crashes were alcohol-impaired during night-time hours than during the day. During this same period, male drivers were more likely than females to be alcohol-impaired and involved in a fatal crash; with males accounting for more than three-quarters of the alcohol-impaired drivers.


• In 2021 there were 13,384 fatalities from alcohol-impaired motor vehicle traffic crashes, accounting for 31% of all traffic fatalities in the United States that year.


• Fatalities in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes increased by 14% (11,718 to 13,384 fatalities) from 2020 to 2021, and increased by 31% (10,196 to 13,384 fatalities) from 2019 to 2021.


• Nationally, it is illegal to drive with a Blood Alcohol Content of 0.08 g/dL or higher, except in Utah, where the limit is 0.05 g/dL.


• Although it’s illegal to drive when impaired by alcohol, in 2021, one person was killed every 39 minutes in a drunk-driving crash on our nation’s roads.


• The rate of alcohol impairment among drivers involved in fatal crashes in 2021 was 2.8 times higher at night than during the day.


• Males are more likely than females to be driving drunk when involved in fatal crashes. In 2021, 22% of males were drunk, compared to 17% of females.

The Cost of Drunk Driving

• The financial impact of impaired-driving crashes is devastating. Crashes in which alcohol was the cause resulted in $57 billion in economic costs.


• Drinking and driving is a risk no one should take. Doing so can cause injury or death to the driver, passengers, and others on the road. The consequences of drunk driving could be life-altering.

Plan Ahead for a Safe Celebration

• Always drive 100% sober. Even one alcoholic beverage could be one too many.


• Make a plan: Before you have even one drink, designate a sober driver to get you home safely. If you wait until you’ve been drinking to make this decision, you might not make the best one.


• Have options to get home safely: designate a sober driver or call a taxi or rideshare. Getting home safely is always worth it.


• If it’s your turn to be the designated driver, take your job seriously and don’t drink.


• If you see a drunk driver on the road, contact 911.


• If you have a friend who is about to drink and drive, take the keys away and let a sober driver get your friend home safely.

Always remember: Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving. More information about Thanksgiving - Impaired Driving (buzzed).