Arizona has several of the cities with the deadliest drunk drivers
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Several Arizona cities are represented in this list, including Tucson.
- Ben Taylor, AxleGeeks.com
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Ralf Kleemann / Shutterstock
Car accidents can happen for dozens of reasons: off-road distractions, speeding, poor weather and driver fatigue all rank among the top 20 causes. The vast majority are not fatal. Add in alcohol, however, and the risk of death skyrockets. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a driver in a single-vehicle crash is 13 times more likely to die when driving at a 0.08 percent blood alcohol level (the legal limit) when compared to driving at a 0 percent BAC.
The data experts at AxleGeeks -- a vehicle research site from Graphiq -- set out to find cities where drunken driving is the deadliest. They turned to 2015 car accident fatality data from the safety administration, the latest available.
The administration doesn't provide per capita figures, so AxleGeeks' ranking is based on the cities where the greatest percentage of vehicle-related deaths involved alcohol.*
In order to avoid listing cities where there happen to be high percentages of alcohol-related deaths -- despite relatively few total deaths -- AxleGeeks set a minimum threshold of at least 10 vehicle deaths in 2015.
Taking the nation as a whole, about 31 percent of vehicle deaths are alcohol-related. The cities on this list all have even higher percentages, ranging from the low-30s up to 70 percent. As a result, the list reflects cities where alcohol is more likely to be the root problem, as compared to causes like speeding and fatigue.
A few trends emerge from the list. Alcohol-related vehicle deaths tend to come in higher percentages in small- to medium-sized cities -- generally with populations under 200,000. The data strongly suggests that the robust public transportation systems of bigger cities prevent drunken driving fatalities.
Predictably, big states like California, Texas and Florida report the most total deaths, which is simply a function of their larger populations. Texas, however, had more than twice as many alcohol-related vehicle deaths as California, despite having a smaller population.
One possible explanation: The Texas cities on the list have more rural characteristics than the California cities. According to a 2013 NHTSA study, 54 percent of traffic fatalities occur in rural areas, despite only 19 percent of the U.S. population living in them. Rural regions have several things going against them: poorly maintained roads, fewer medical resources and generally speaking, worse driver habits. Rural drivers are less likely to wear seat belts and more likely to drive dangerously fast as they traverse longer distances to reach their destination.
The list will start with cities only modestly worse than the national average, then count up to the places where drunken driving deaths were the largest percentage of vehicle-related deaths. For context, the AxleGeeks team also calculated per capita rates based on census data, but note that these are approximate numbers and were not a ranking factor for the final order.
*You can approximate per capita deaths by combining the NHTSA data with census population numbers, but mixing two data sources can be problematic, sometimes producing unreliable results.
Compiled by Ben Taylor, AxleGeeks.com
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Ken Lund / Flickr
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 31.0%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 129
Total Involving Alcohol: 40
City Population: 677,116
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.591
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Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 31.3%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 64
Total Involving Alcohol: 20
City Population: 475,378
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.421
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Suzanne Tucker / Shutterstock
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 31.3%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 67
Total Involving Alcohol: 21
City Population: 600,155
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.35
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photo.ua / Shutterstock
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 31.5%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 73
Total Involving Alcohol: 23
City Population: 654,610
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.351
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Bryan Pollard / Shutterstock
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 32.0%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 25
Total Involving Alcohol: 8
City Population: 241,218
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.332
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LMspencer / Shutterstock
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 32.0%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 25
Total Involving Alcohol: 8
City Population: 200,602
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.399
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Mark Turner / Wikipedia
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 32.1%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 28
Total Involving Alcohol: 9
City Population: 451,066
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.2
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Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 32.1%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 56
Total Involving Alcohol: 18
City Population: 531,641
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.339
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Dietmar Rabich / Wikipedia
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 32.7%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 52
Total Involving Alcohol: 17
City Population: 623,747
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.273
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Ken Lund / Flickr
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 32.8%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 64
Total Involving Alcohol: 21
City Population: 827,097
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.254
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Katie Haugland / Wikipedia
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 33.2%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 238
Total Involving Alcohol: 79
City Population: 2,296,224
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.344
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Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 33.3%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 12
Total Involving Alcohol: 4
City Population: 410,939
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.097
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Ken Lund / Flickr
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 33.3%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 27
Total Involving Alcohol: 9
City Population: 322,424
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.279
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La Citta Vita / Wikimedia Commons
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 33.3%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 21
Total Involving Alcohol: 7
City Population: 236,607
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.296
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Alina Zamogilnykh / Shutterstock
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 33.3%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 27
Total Involving Alcohol: 9
City Population: 298,550
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.301
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Stan Shebs / Wikimedia Commons
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 33.3%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 21
Total Involving Alcohol: 7
City Population: 183,937
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.381
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Joseph Sohm / Shutterstock
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 33.3%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 12
Total Involving Alcohol: 4
City Population: 93,295
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.429
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Cypress Landing / Wikipedia
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 33.3%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 12
Total Involving Alcohol: 4
City Population: 90,597
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.442
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Billy Hathorn / Wikipedia
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 33.3%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 18
Total Involving Alcohol: 6
City Population: 118,968
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.504
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Ebyabe / Wikipedia
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 33.3%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 18
Total Involving Alcohol: 6
City Population: 104,401
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.575
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TexasExplorer98 / Flickr
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 33.7%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 86
Total Involving Alcohol: 29
City Population: 631,346
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.459
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Katherine Welles / Shutterstock
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 34.6%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 26
Total Involving Alcohol: 9
City Population: 388,125
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.232
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Eteru / Wikimedia Commons
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 34.7%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 95
Total Involving Alcohol: 33
City Population: 1,394,928
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.237
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Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 34.8%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 46
Total Involving Alcohol: 16
City Population: 681,124
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.235
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Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 35.1%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 37
Total Involving Alcohol: 13
City Population: 621,849
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.209
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Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 35.1%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 37
Total Involving Alcohol: 13
City Population: 270,934
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.48
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rbotman01 / Wikipedia
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 35.3%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 17
Total Involving Alcohol: 6
City Population: 419,267
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.143
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Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 35.3%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 17
Total Involving Alcohol: 6
City Population: 194,288
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.309
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Airtuna08 / Wikimedia Commons
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 35.3%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 17
Total Involving Alcohol: 6
City Population: 151,306
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.397
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Ken Lund / Flickr
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 35.7%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 14
Total Involving Alcohol: 5
City Population: 201,899
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.248
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Richard Thornton / Shutterstock
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 35.7%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 28
Total Involving Alcohol: 10
City Population: 373,640
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.268
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ChrisYunker / Flickr
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 35.7%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 14
Total Involving Alcohol: 5
City Population: 175,826
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.284
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Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 35.7%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 42
Total Involving Alcohol: 15
City Population: 443,885
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.338
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JefferyTurner / Flickr
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 36.0%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 50
Total Involving Alcohol: 18
City Population: 682,545
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.264
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Robmyskis / Wikipedia
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 36.4%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 11
Total Involving Alcohol: 4
City Population: 667,137
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.06
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Branden Pinney / Wikimedia Commons
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 36.4%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 11
Total Involving Alcohol: 4
City Population: 256,927
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.156
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cygnusloop99 / Wikipedia
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 36.4%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 11
Total Involving Alcohol: 4
City Population: 247,542
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.162
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davidwilson1949 / Flickr
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 36.4%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 11
Total Involving Alcohol: 4
City Population: 236,897
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.169
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davidwilson1949 / Flickr
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 36.4%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 11
Total Involving Alcohol: 4
City Population: 197,542
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.202
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Hachim.Pi / Flickr
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 36.4%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 22
Total Involving Alcohol: 8
City Population: 335,400
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.239
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Georgia Guercio / Wikimedia Commons
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 36.4%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 11
Total Involving Alcohol: 4
City Population: 132,950
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.301
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TexasExplorer98 / Flickr
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 36.4%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 11
Total Involving Alcohol: 4
City Population: 131,044
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.305
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Dudemanfellabra / Wikimedia Commons
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 36.4%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 11
Total Involving Alcohol: 4
City Population: 46,805
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.855
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Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 36.4%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 11
Total Involving Alcohol: 4
City Population: 40,374
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.991
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Tupungato / Shutterstock
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 36.8%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 19
Total Involving Alcohol: 7
City Population: 304,391
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.23
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Tim Roberts Photography / Shutterstock
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 36.8%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 19
Total Involving Alcohol: 7
City Population: 240,126
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.292
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Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 36.8%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 19
Total Involving Alcohol: 7
City Population: 133,803
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.523
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Janitors / Flickr
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 37.3%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 59
Total Involving Alcohol: 22
City Population: 850,106
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.259
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Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 37.5%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 16
Total Involving Alcohol: 6
City Population: 100,314
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.598
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davidwilson1949 / Flickr
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 38.5%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 13
Total Involving Alcohol: 5
City Population: 258,071
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.194
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Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 38.5%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 13
Total Involving Alcohol: 5
City Population: 200,579
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.249
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Ryanloney / Wikimedia Commons
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 38.5%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 13
Total Involving Alcohol: 5
City Population: 112,970
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.443
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Patrick Feller / Flickr
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 38.5%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 13
Total Involving Alcohol: 5
City Population: 76,070
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.657
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Jugarum / Wikimedia Commons
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 38.9%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 18
Total Involving Alcohol: 7
City Population: 149,176
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.469
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Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 40.0%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 10
Total Involving Alcohol: 4
City Population: 265,757
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.151
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Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 40.0%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 15
Total Involving Alcohol: 6
City Population: 220,289
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.272
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Robert A. Estremo / Wikipedia
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 40.0%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 10
Total Involving Alcohol: 4
City Population: 140,992
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.284
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AHTD / Flickr
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 40.0%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 10
Total Involving Alcohol: 4
City Population: 77,859
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.514
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Professional foto / Shutterstock
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 40.0%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 10
Total Involving Alcohol: 4
City Population: 51,460
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.777
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Colin D. Young/Shutterstock
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 40.8%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 49
Total Involving Alcohol: 20
City Population: 389,617
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.513
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pasa47 / Flickr
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 40.9%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 22
Total Involving Alcohol: 9
City Population: 197,204
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.456
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grimneko / Flickr
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 42.9%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 14
Total Involving Alcohol: 6
City Population: 204,198
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.294
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Sean Pavone / Shutterstock
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 42.9%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 14
Total Involving Alcohol: 6
City Population: 189,907
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.316
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Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 43.2%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 44
Total Involving Alcohol: 19
City Population: 388,072
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.49
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Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 43.8%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 16
Total Involving Alcohol: 7
City Population: 152,597
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.459
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KAD Photo / Shutterstock
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 44.0%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 25
Total Involving Alcohol: 11
City Population: 285,342
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.386
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Susan Montgomery / Shutterstock
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 44.4%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 18
Total Involving Alcohol: 8
City Population: 279,789
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.286
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Trenten Kelley / Flickr
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 44.4%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 18
Total Involving Alcohol: 8
City Population: 108,802
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.735
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Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 44.7%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 47
Total Involving Alcohol: 21
City Population: 559,121
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.376
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Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 45.5%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 11
Total Involving Alcohol: 5
City Population: 172,860
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.289
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Dougtone / Flickr
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 45.5%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 11
Total Involving Alcohol: 5
City Population: 164,549
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.304
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Ken Lund / Flickr
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 45.8%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 24
Total Involving Alcohol: 11
City Population: 359,407
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.306
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Sopotnicki / Shutterstock
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 46.2%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 26
Total Involving Alcohol: 12
City Population: 456,568
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.263
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Joyce Vincent / Shutterstock
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 46.2%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 13
Total Involving Alcohol: 6
City Population: 184,815
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.325
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Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 46.2%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 13
Total Involving Alcohol: 6
City Population: 171,237
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.35
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Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 46.2%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 13
Total Involving Alcohol: 6
City Population: 148,278
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.405
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Dragan Jovanovic / Shutterstock
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 46.2%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 52
Total Involving Alcohol: 24
City Population: 490,712
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.489
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Ken Lund / Flickr
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 46.2%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 13
Total Involving Alcohol: 6
City Population: 98,332
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.61
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Ken Lund / Flickr
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 46.7%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 15
Total Involving Alcohol: 7
City Population: 246,393
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.284
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Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 48.6%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 35
Total Involving Alcohol: 17
City Population: 632,309
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.269
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Point out the obvious / Flickr
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 50.0%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 16
Total Involving Alcohol: 8
City Population: 452,745
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.177
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Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 50.0%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 12
Total Involving Alcohol: 6
City Population: 218,281
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.275
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Nheyob / Wikimedia Commons
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 50.0%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 10
Total Involving Alcohol: 5
City Population: 132,052
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.379
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pasa47 / Flickr
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 50.0%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 18
Total Involving Alcohol: 9
City Population: 213,272
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.422
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inazakira / Flickr
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 50.0%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 12
Total Involving Alcohol: 6
City Population: 124,564
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.482
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Larry D. Moore / Wikimedia Commons
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 50.0%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 14
Total Involving Alcohol: 7
City Population: 144,788
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.483
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Ken Lund / Flickr
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 50.0%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 10
Total Involving Alcohol: 5
City Population: 98,310
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.509
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davidwilson1949 / Flickr
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 50.0%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 14
Total Involving Alcohol: 7
City Population: 102,582
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.682
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Barry Blackburn / Shutterstock
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 53.3%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 15
Total Involving Alcohol: 8
City Population: 182,385
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.439
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Adam Harner / Shutterstock
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 53.9%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 26
Total Involving Alcohol: 14
City Population: 234,807
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.596
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Serenethos / Shutterstock
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 53.9%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 13
Total Involving Alcohol: 7
City Population: 69,959
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 1.001
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Gp user / Wikipedia
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 54.6%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 11
Total Involving Alcohol: 6
City Population: 187,809
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.319
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JustinYang / Wikipedia
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 54.6%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 11
Total Involving Alcohol: 6
City Population: 164,226
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.365
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Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 56.3%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 16
Total Involving Alcohol: 9
City Population: 210,330
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.428
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Dougtone / Flickr
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 58.3%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 24
Total Involving Alcohol: 14
City Population: 140,599
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.996
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Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 60.0%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 10
Total Involving Alcohol: 6
City Population: 179,207
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.335
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Smallbones / Flickr
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 60.0%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 10
Total Involving Alcohol: 6
City Population: 60,818
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.987
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infrogmation / Flickr
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 61.5%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 13
Total Involving Alcohol: 8
City Population: 127,657
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.627
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brennan.v / Flickr
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 70.0%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 10
Total Involving Alcohol: 7
City Population: 175,229
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.399
More like this...
- Ben Taylor, AxleGeeks.com
Ralf Kleemann / Shutterstock
Car accidents can happen for dozens of reasons: off-road distractions, speeding, poor weather and driver fatigue all rank among the top 20 causes. The vast majority are not fatal. Add in alcohol, however, and the risk of death skyrockets. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a driver in a single-vehicle crash is 13 times more likely to die when driving at a 0.08 percent blood alcohol level (the legal limit) when compared to driving at a 0 percent BAC.
The data experts at AxleGeeks -- a vehicle research site from Graphiq -- set out to find cities where drunken driving is the deadliest. They turned to 2015 car accident fatality data from the safety administration, the latest available.
The administration doesn't provide per capita figures, so AxleGeeks' ranking is based on the cities where the greatest percentage of vehicle-related deaths involved alcohol.*
In order to avoid listing cities where there happen to be high percentages of alcohol-related deaths -- despite relatively few total deaths -- AxleGeeks set a minimum threshold of at least 10 vehicle deaths in 2015.
Taking the nation as a whole, about 31 percent of vehicle deaths are alcohol-related. The cities on this list all have even higher percentages, ranging from the low-30s up to 70 percent. As a result, the list reflects cities where alcohol is more likely to be the root problem, as compared to causes like speeding and fatigue.
A few trends emerge from the list. Alcohol-related vehicle deaths tend to come in higher percentages in small- to medium-sized cities -- generally with populations under 200,000. The data strongly suggests that the robust public transportation systems of bigger cities prevent drunken driving fatalities.
Predictably, big states like California, Texas and Florida report the most total deaths, which is simply a function of their larger populations. Texas, however, had more than twice as many alcohol-related vehicle deaths as California, despite having a smaller population.
One possible explanation: The Texas cities on the list have more rural characteristics than the California cities. According to a 2013 NHTSA study, 54 percent of traffic fatalities occur in rural areas, despite only 19 percent of the U.S. population living in them. Rural regions have several things going against them: poorly maintained roads, fewer medical resources and generally speaking, worse driver habits. Rural drivers are less likely to wear seat belts and more likely to drive dangerously fast as they traverse longer distances to reach their destination.
The list will start with cities only modestly worse than the national average, then count up to the places where drunken driving deaths were the largest percentage of vehicle-related deaths. For context, the AxleGeeks team also calculated per capita rates based on census data, but note that these are approximate numbers and were not a ranking factor for the final order.
*You can approximate per capita deaths by combining the NHTSA data with census population numbers, but mixing two data sources can be problematic, sometimes producing unreliable results.
Compiled by Ben Taylor, AxleGeeks.com
photo.ua / Shutterstock
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 31.5%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 73
Total Involving Alcohol: 23
City Population: 654,610
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.351
Bryan Pollard / Shutterstock
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 32.0%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 25
Total Involving Alcohol: 8
City Population: 241,218
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.332
Stan Shebs / Wikimedia Commons
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 33.3%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 21
Total Involving Alcohol: 7
City Population: 183,937
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.381
Cypress Landing / Wikipedia
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 33.3%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 12
Total Involving Alcohol: 4
City Population: 90,597
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.442
Richard Thornton / Shutterstock
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 35.7%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 28
Total Involving Alcohol: 10
City Population: 373,640
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.268
Branden Pinney / Wikimedia Commons
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 36.4%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 11
Total Involving Alcohol: 4
City Population: 256,927
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.156
Dudemanfellabra / Wikimedia Commons
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 36.4%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 11
Total Involving Alcohol: 4
City Population: 46,805
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.855
Tim Roberts Photography / Shutterstock
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 36.8%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 19
Total Involving Alcohol: 7
City Population: 240,126
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.292
Professional foto / Shutterstock
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 40.0%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 10
Total Involving Alcohol: 4
City Population: 51,460
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.777
KAD Photo / Shutterstock
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 44.0%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 25
Total Involving Alcohol: 11
City Population: 285,342
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.386
Sopotnicki / Shutterstock
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 46.2%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 26
Total Involving Alcohol: 12
City Population: 456,568
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.263
Joyce Vincent / Shutterstock
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 46.2%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 13
Total Involving Alcohol: 6
City Population: 184,815
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.325
Dragan Jovanovic / Shutterstock
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 46.2%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 52
Total Involving Alcohol: 24
City Population: 490,712
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.489
Point out the obvious / Flickr
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 50.0%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 16
Total Involving Alcohol: 8
City Population: 452,745
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.177
Nheyob / Wikimedia Commons
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 50.0%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 10
Total Involving Alcohol: 5
City Population: 132,052
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.379
Barry Blackburn / Shutterstock
Percent of Vehicle Deaths Involving Alcohol: 53.3%
Total Vehicle Fatalities (2015): 15
Total Involving Alcohol: 8
City Population: 182,385
Alcohol-related Vehicle Deaths per Capita (approx.): 0.439
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