In 2000, the NHTSA developed formulas for estimating the true number of vehicles being operated by drivers under the influence of alcohol. That year, there were over 2 million alcohol-related crashes that killed 16 thousand people, and injured over 513 thousand people, accounting for 26% of all vehicle crashes. When crunching the numbers, the extra cost of each alcoholic beverage consumed, as related to the monetary and quality of life costs associated with a DUI is $1 for drinkers who drive and 60 cents for non-driving drinkers.
Recent statistics put the percentage of alcohol-related crashes at 31%, however, the overall DUI rate has dropped due to tougher DUI laws that impose fines, alcohol education classes, mandatory installation of ignition interlock devices, and public awareness campaigns.
Mark Noo
Cool infographic. I wish I would have thought of it.
You may also be interested in the amount of overall damage people do while intoxicated to the amount of revenue alcohol generates from taxes.
The numbers are somewhat skewed. For instance, they fail to include the taxes that are collected by state and local governments that serve alcohol. In many cities taverns, clubs, etc probably are more than 1/3 of their tax bases. I have it on my site but, a quick Googling should bring it up..
Nice post.