Designated Driving Statistics

Does it really matter if you choose to have a designated driver or not? Absolutely. Driving drunk could cost you embarrassment, jail time and fines and your license; it could even result in injury or a loss of life. Since the designated driving movement took hold in the United States in the late 1980s, countless accidents and DUIS have been avoided and lives have been saved, thanks to designated drivers.

Just the Facts

It is estimated that designated drivers have saved 50,000 lives and have prevented many accidents that could have resulted in the injuries of thousands of people from drunk driving. After designated driving became popularized in the 1980s, the decline in drunk driving fatalities was dramatic: nearly 24% in four short years. Six years after the campaign, fatalities had reached an all-time low, marking an overall decrease of 30% Compared with fatalities holding steady in the years before the concept of designated driving was introduced in the US, the decrease in alcohol-related traffic fatalities proves that designated drivers save lives.

Now more than ever, people understand how important designated drivers are to keeping American roadways safe. Studies show that over nine out of ten Americans who frequent occasions where alcohol is served want to see more designated drivers being utilized. More good news: over 73,000,000 Americans serve as a designated driver or have a designated driver take them home each year.

Heroism and the Designated Driver

Today, a designated driver is considered a hero in most social situations for the selflessness the role entails. The designated driver chooses to abstain from drinking and take on the responsibility of ensuring that others arrive home safely. Because this person does not consume any alcohol, he or she removes all of the risks of driving while intoxicated—accident, injury, death, or a DUI arrest and all of its consequences—from the equation. Everyone will be able to have a more enjoyable social experience knowing that someone reliable will get the group home safely at the end of the night.