One in three people will be involved in an alcohol-related crash in their lifetime.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. “The Traffic Stop and You: Improving Communications between Citizens and Law Enforcement.” National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, March 2001, DOT HS 809 212.

Almost every 90 seconds, a person is injured in a drunk driving crash.

Blincoe, Lawrence, et al. “The Economic Impact of Motor Vehicle Crashes 2000.” Washington, DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2002. NHTSA FARS data, 2011.

On average, one in three people will be involved in a drunk driving crash in their lifetime.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. “The Traffic Stop and You: Improving Communications between Citizens and Law Enforcement.” National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, March 2001, DOT HS 809 212.

In 2011, 9,878 people died in drunk driving crashes - one every 53 minutes

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration FARS data, 2012.

An average drunk driver has driven drunk 80 times before first arrest.

(Centers for Disease Control. “Vital Signs: Alcohol-Impaired Driving Among Adults — United States, 2010.” Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. October 4, 2011.)

Adults drank too much and got behind the wheel about 112 million times in 2010 - that is almost 300,000 incidents of drinking and driving each day.

(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, October 2011)

Drunk driving costs each adult in this country almost $500 per year.

(Taylor, et al 2002) Full cite: Taylor, Dexter; Miller, Ted; and Cox, Kenya. "Impaired Driving in the United States Cost Fact Sheets." Washington, DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2002.

If all 17 million people who admitted to driving drunk in 2010 had their own state, it would be the fifth largest in the U.S.

(Lacey, John et al. “2007 National Roadside Survey of Alcohol and Drug Use by Drivers: Alcohol Results.” Washington, DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, December 2009.)

Drunk driving costs the United States $132 billion a year.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration FARS data, 2010

Every day in America, another 27 people die as a result of drunk driving crashes.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration FARS data, 2012.

In the United States, the number of drunk driving deaths has been cut in half since MADD was founded in 1980.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration FARS data, 2011.

50 to 75 percent of convicted drunk drivers continue to drive on a suspended license.

(Peck, R.C., Wilson, R. J., and Sutton, L. 1995. “Driver license strategies for controlling the persistent DUI offender, Strategies for Dealing with the intent Drinking Driver.” Transportation Research Board, Transportation Research Circular No. 437. Washington, D.C. National Research Council: 48-49 and Beck, KH, et al. “Effects of Ignition Interlock License Restrictions on Drivers with Multiple Alcohol Offenses: A Randomized Trial in Maryland.” American Journal of Public Health, 89 vol. 11 (1999): 1696-1700.)

In 2010, 16 percent of all drivers involved in fatal crashes during the week were drunk driving crashes, compared to 31 percent on weekends.

(National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. “Traffic Safety Facts 2010: Alcohol Impaired Driving” Washington DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2011.)

Alcohol impairment among drivers involved in fatal crashes in 2010 was four times higher at night than during the day (37 versus 9 percent).

(National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. “Traffic Safety Facts 2010: Alcohol Impaired Driving” Washington DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2011.)

In 2010, 211 children were killed in drunk driving crashes. Out of those 211 deaths, 131 (62 percent) were riding with the drunk driver.

(National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. “Traffic Safety Facts 2010: Alcohol Impaired Driving” Washington DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2011.)

Impairment is not determined by the type of drink, but rather by the amount of alcohol ingested over a specific period of time.

(Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. “Q&A: Alcohol: General.” Arlington, VA: National Highway Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, March 2012.)

The average person metabolizes alcohol at the rate of about one drink per hour. Only time will sober a person up. Drinking strong coffee, exercising or taking a cold shower will not help.

(Michigan State University. “Basic Alcohol Information.” East Lansing, MI: Michigan State University, 2003.)

The speed of alcohol absorption affects the rate at which one becomes drunk. Unlike foods, alcohol does not have to be slowly digested. As a person drinks faster than the alcohol can be eliminated, the drug accumulates in the body, resulting in higher and higher levels of alcohol in the blood.

(Narcotic Educational Foundation of America. “Alcohol: A Potent Drug.” Santa Clarita, CA: Narcotic Educational Foundation of America, 2002.)

A standard drink is defined as 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of 72-proof distilled spirits, all of which contain the same amount of alcohol - about .54 ounces.

(National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. "Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention in the Medical Setting." DOT HS 809 467. Washington, DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, July 2002.)

In fatal crashes in 2010, the highest percentage of drunk drivers was for drivers ages 21 to 24 (34 percent), followed by ages 25 to 34 (30 percent) and 35 to 44 (25 percent).

(National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. “Traffic Safety Facts 2010: Alcohol Impaired Driving” Washington DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2011.)

Among persons aged 12 or older, males were more likely than females (15.1 vs. 7.9 percent) to drive under the influence of alcohol in the past year.

(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. “Results from the 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Summary of National Findings.” September 2011.)

Driving under the influence of alcohol was associated with age in 2010. The rate was highest among persons aged 21 to 25 (23.4 percent). An estimated 5.8 percent of 16 or 17 year olds and 15.1 percent of 18 to 20 year olds reported driving under the influence of alcohol in the past year. Beyond age 25, these rates showed a general decline with increasing age.

(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. “Results from the 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Summary of National Findings.” September 2011.)

About one-third of all drivers arrested or convicted of driving while intoxicated or driving under the influence of alcohol are repeat offenders.

(Fell, Jim. “Repeat DWI Offenders in the United States.” Washington, DC: National Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Traffic Tech No. 85, February 1995.)

Over 1.41 million drivers were arrested in 2010 for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics.

(Federal Bureau of Investigation, “Crime in the United States: 2010”)