With the fall and winter holiday season fast approaching, concerns about drunk drivers logically enter the minds of many Connecticut residents. Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s are all deadly times on the roads, too often at the hands of people who make the dangerous choice to drink and drive. In order to fully understand the risk, it can be helpful to know some recent statistics about drunk driving accident fatalities.
A look at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data from the years 2009 to 2013 gives a good five-year window into the problems that a drunk driver can pose. Statewide numbers show the following:
In 2009, there were 224 total vehicular fatalities. Of those, 97 resulted from accidents involving alcohol.
In 2010, the total number of accident deaths was 320, 119 of which happened in drunk driving crashes.
Of 221 accident fatalities, 94 lives were lost to impaired drivers in 2011.
100 people died in alcohol-related accidents in 2012. Overall, 264 vehicular deaths occurred.
In 2013, of 276 total lives lost, 114 were lost in drunk driving collisions.
During these five years, Hartford County experienced the most number of drunk driving deaths with 134. New Haven County was in second place with 107 fatalities followed by Fairfield County with 99 deaths.
As startling as these statistics may be, they only tell part of the story. In addition to the people who lose their lives, many others suffer serious injuries that can result in life-altering disabilities. This information is not intended to provide legal advice but general information about fatal drunk driving accidents in Connecticut.
