Drunk Driving Deaths: How Maryland Ranks

MARYLAND — More than 300 people die in drunk driving crashes nationwide during the week between Christmas and New Year's, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Troopers will be conducting extra patrols across Maryland to catch impaired drivers throughout the holidays, Maryland State Police said.

A new ranking based on National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and other data shows Maryland ranks 33rd for impaired driving deaths. The study from SafeWise, a website that reviews home security systems, looked at impaired driving deaths per state.

In Maryland, there were 3.07 drunken or impaired driving deaths per 100,000 people in 2017.

The study showed the five states with the highest rates of impaired driving deaths are as follows:

• Wyoming (7.59 per 100,000 people)
• South Carolina (6.22 per 100,000 people)
• North Dakota (6.08 per 100,000 people)
• New Mexico (5.74 per 100,000 people)
• Alabama (5.49 per 100,000 people)

The SafeWise study found 80 percent of the most dangerous states for impaired driving were also in the top five in 2016. Wyoming was a newcomer in 2017, replacing Montana, which fell to No. 6 with 5.33 impaired driving fatalities per capita.

Every state in the five worst (except Wyoming) decreased its rate of drunken driving deaths year over year in 2017.

Eighty percent of the worst states have no minimum jail time for first-time driving-under-the-influence offenders. South Carolina is the outlier with two days for a first offense.

At the other end of the spectrum, these states have the lowest rates of impaired driving deaths:

• New Jersey (1.38 per 100,000 people)
• New York (1.48 per 100,000 people)
• Minnesota (1.52 per 100,000 people)
• Utah (1.70 per 100,000 people)
• Massachusetts (1.74 per 100,000 people)

Among the five states with the most drunken driving deaths, the average minimum fine for the first DUI conviction is $300, compared to $524 among the five states with the fewest drunk driving deaths.

To arrive at the rankings, SafeWise compared the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data with 2017 Census population estimates, among other sources.

— By Beth Dalbey

Photo via Shutterstock