Drunk Driving In Georgia: How State Ranks For Fatal DUI Crashes

GEORGIA — During the week between Christmas and New Year's, the U.S. Department of Transportation reports more than 300 people die in drunk driving crashes nationwide. Georgia ranks 21st in the U.S. for impaired driving deaths, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and other data.

The study from SafeWise, a website that reviews home security systems, looked at impaired driving deaths per state. It showed 3.51 drunken or impaired driving deaths per 100,000 people in Georgia in 2017.

The five states with the highest rates of impaired driving deaths are 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) and Alabama (5.49 per 100,000 people), the study showed.

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At the other end of the spectrum, the states with the lowest rates of impaired driving deaths are 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) and Massachusetts (1.74 per 100,000 people).

The SafeWise study also found the following:

• Eighty 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.
• The majority of U.S. states require mandatory alcohol abuse assessment or treatment after a DUI conviction, but neither is required in four out of the five worst states for drunken driving deaths.
• 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 and other sources.

— By Beth Dalbey

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