Hot on Facebook

Guy Buys $123 Safe on eBay, Finds $26,000 Inside Seller tries to get half the cash back, fails »

1 in 6 Drink and Drive: Survey

Government study shows numbers over 25% in some states

By Kevin Spak, Newser Staff

Posted Apr 23, 2008 12:48 PM CDT

(Newser) – About 15% of Americans drove under the influence of alcohol in the past year, and another 4.7% drove while on drugs, according to a new government survey. Wisconsinites were particularly hammered, with 26.4% driving drunk, followed closely by North Dakota (24.9%) and Minnesota (23.4%). Utah had the national low at 9.5%, Reuters reports.

“This report highlights the enormous public health risk posed by this problem—one threatening the lives of many Americans every day,” one official said.

That comes to an estimated total of 30.5 million intoxicated drivers. (Shutterstock)

Wisconsin had the most drunk drivers, Utah the fewest. (Shutterstock)

In some states up to 25% of people have driven drunk, according to a government study. (Shutterstock)

Nationwide, 15% said they'd driven drunk at one time or another. (Shutterstock)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

And the State With the Booziest Drivers Is...

...Wisconsin, followed closely by North Dakota

(NEWSER) - America's drivers are a boozy bunch: Some 30 million admitted to driving drunk within the last year and more than 10 million drove while high on drugs, according to a new report. But those numbers actually show progress, notes MSNBC . The survey of the years 2006 through 2009 found an average drunk driving rate of 13.2%—down from 2002 to 2005's 14.6% rate; drugged driving dropped to 4.3% from 4.8%. Wisconsin leads the pack in terms of drunk drivers, with a rate of 23.7%; North Dakota follows at 22.4%. More»

How to Know When You've Hit .08%

The 'Wall Street Journal' discovers ... it's kind of hard to tell

(NEWSER) - It's that magical line that we try to avoid crossing while out on the town: a blood-alcohol concentration of .08%. And as the Wall Street Journal reports, most of us figure a few glasses of wine over dinner won't put us over the legal limit. The paper set out to test our assumptions: It threw a "BAC party," in which guests enjoyed alcohol, then blew into three different models of breathalyzers throughout the evening. So what's the magic number of "safe" drinks? The Journal discovers, frustratingly, it's a question with no consistent answer. Because one's BAC is not just individual, it's dependent on changing factors. More»

Drunk Driver Busted With 15 Sheep in His Mercedes

Oh, and his blood alcohol level was 32 times the legal limit

(NEWSER) - What's the more jaw-dropping figure: that a drunk driver's blood alcohol level was 32 times the legal limit, or that said drunk driver was arrested with 15 sheep in his car? Both were true for one man arrested near Queenstown, South Africa, on Wednesday night. He had 15 sheep, allegedly plucked from nearby farms, five boys, and a woman in his Mercedes-Benz Vito when he was pulled over. His blood alcohol was at 1.6%, 32 times the .05% limit, reports News24 . More»

US Agents Were Boozing on Nuke Transport Missions

Energy watchdog exposes intoxicated nuclear weapons techs

(NEWSER) - Driving nuclear weapons around must be either tedious or stressful: While agents employed to do just that haven't been caught drunk behind the wheel, feds find that some have been boozing it up while on missions, the AP reports. A recent report by the US Energy Department's inspector general cites 16 such cases between 2007 and 2009. In one incident, two agents were detained by local police after an incident at a bar. More»

Feds: 17M Drive Drunk

Poll shows 8% admit they drive when they shouldn't

(NEWSER) - There are an uncomfortable number of drunk drivers out there, according to a new survey from the Department of Transportation. In the poll, 8% of respondents admitted to driving drunk—a number that, if representational, would equate to roughly 17 million Americans. And that’s just those willing to admit it—a full 20% admitted they’d driven within two hours of drinking, the AP reports. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

1 in 6 Drink and Drive: Survey

Government study shows numbers over 25% in some states

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

Wisconsin • alcohol • drunk driving • Utah • driving

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

And the State With the Booziest Drivers Is...

...Wisconsin, followed closely by North Dakota

How to Know When You've Hit .08%

The 'Wall Street Journal' discovers ... it's kind of hard to tell

Drunk Driver Busted With 15 Sheep in His Mercedes

Oh, and his blood alcohol level was 32 times the legal limit

US Agents Were Boozing on Nuke Transport Missions

Energy watchdog exposes intoxicated nuclear weapons techs

Feds: 17M Drive Drunk

Poll shows 8% admit they drive when they shouldn't

About Us

Site

Newser By Users

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?

1 in 6 Drink and Drive: Survey

Government study shows numbers over 25% in some states

Bookmark & Share

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

Wisconsin • alcohol • drunk driving • Utah • driving

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

And the State With the Booziest Drivers Is...

...Wisconsin, followed closely by North Dakota

How to Know When You've Hit .08%

The 'Wall Street Journal' discovers ... it's kind of hard to tell

Drunk Driver Busted With 15 Sheep in His Mercedes

Oh, and his blood alcohol level was 32 times the legal limit

US Agents Were Boozing on Nuke Transport Missions

Energy watchdog exposes intoxicated nuclear weapons techs

Feds: 17M Drive Drunk

Poll shows 8% admit they drive when they shouldn't

About Us

Site

Newser By Users

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?