Do You Know This Information About Drunk Driving?

This is a sponsored post.

How many people do you know who have been affected by drunk drivers? It's probably more than you realize. Almost everyone has been affected in some way because of drunk driving. it's an unfortunate fact.

But here are some other facts that you should know about Drunk Driving.*

~ 50 to 75 percent of convicted drunk drivers continue to drive on a suspended license.
~ An Average drunk driver has driven 80 times before their first arrest.
~ The rate of drunk driving is highest among 20 to 25 year olds.

~ Only time will sober a person up. Drinking strong coffee, exercising, or taking a cold shower will not help.
~ Every two minutes, a person is injured in a drunk driving crash.
~ Drunk driving costs the United States $199 billion each year.
~ On average, two of three people will be involved in a drunk driving crash in their lifetime.
~ In The United States every day 28 people die in drunk driving crashes.
~ In 2013, 10,076 people died in drunk driving crashes, one every 52 minutes, and 290,000 people were injured.

These facts are just the tip of the iceberg. The statistics associated with drunk driving are enormous and more and more people are affected, and in my case multiple times, every year. In my life I have known 2 people killed by drunk drivers, one drunk driver who died, and 4 friends who were injured in crashes involving drunk drivers. And those are the ones I know about. Many cases of drunk driving and incidents don't get reported!

The State of New York put together a very interesting article about drunk driving that really surprised me. The article is, An Analysis of Drunk Driving Fatalities by State. I was very surprised at some of the states that had high occurrences of drunk driving. Some were obvious to have high numbers because of the populations in the states. But some of the others i certainly did not expect to see. The states with the highest number of fatalities was sad, but it is important to remember every state has fatalities from drunk driving. This article is an eye opener and very much worth the reading.

The states with the most alcohol-related driving fatalities were Texas, California, Florida, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New York, South Carolina, Illinois, Georgia, and Tennessee in that order from highest number of deaths to lowest. But remember, all states have alcohol-related driving fatalities! Where does your state fall in this?

Drunk driving is something that is preventable, but only with the involvement of people who care and are serious about stopping it. It's common sense. Alcohol slows down your reactions and clouds your judgement. If you plan to drink or know people who do, plan ahead so someone else can drive for you. Volunteer to be the driver to keep others safe. Do your part to help prevent the deaths of others, some of whom may be your loved ones!

Don't wait for drunk drivers to change your life or the life of someone you love. Help put a stop to something that is entirely preventable!

*Statistics from MADD