Even when they believed they were over the legal limit, drivers reported they still chose to get behind the wheel for the following reasons:
- Still thought they were okay to drive (43.7%)
- Didn’t have very far to go (12.6%)
- Thought they could drive carefully enough (10.9%)
Of those reports, younger men and drivers who had previously received traffic tickets were more likely to drive even when they thought they were under the influence.
A 2016 report by The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows “the number of fatalities in crashes involving an alcohol-impaired driver increased by 3.2 percent, from 9,943 to 10,265.” This represents 29 percent of over-all fatalities in 2015.
