A new study revealed that Texas experiences the second-most drunk driving-related deaths out of every state in the United States.
The report, conducted by business news website MarketWatch, found that the Lone Star State had a drunk driving fatality rate of 29%, a percentage that would have been the highest, save for Montana’s whopping 34% mark — which was the highest in the country.
Other states to join Texas and Montana as the places with the most deaths caused by intoxicated vehicular operation included Washington (27%), Ohio (27%), Connecticut (27%), New Hampshire (26%) and Wyoming (25%).
According to MarketWatch, the significantly large amount of drunk driving crashes in areas like Texas and Montana during the annual holiday speaks to a troubling trend that is occurring throughout America.
The study pointed out that the U.S. had reached 6,396 traffic deaths that involved a driver who was over the legal blood alcohol content (BAC) limit in 2019, a total that grew by 26.5% in 2021 when the country experienced 8,089 fatalities during that time — signaling an issue that is happening year-round, and not just when the ball drops at midnight on Jan. 1.
“We need to change behaviors,” said Stacey D. Stewart, CEO of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), to MarketWatch. “We recently found that more than a third of all Americans and 42% of men admit to having driven a car after consuming alcohol or other drugs when they weren’t entirely sure it was safe for them to get behind the wheel.“
While consuming alcoholic beverages is part of the celebratory traditions of New Year’s Eve for many, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Acting Administrator Ann Carlson says that alcohol-related traffic deaths are entirely avoidable.
“No one needs to die this holiday season because someone chose to drive impaired,” said Carlson in a statement. “These crashes are particularly tragic because they are 100% preventable. There is no reason and no excuse to drive impaired by alcohol or other drugs.”
According to the study, Americans partaking in boozy beverages during the upcoming holiday can prevent traffic incidents by making driving plans before drinking, utilizing rideshare services or taxi cabs, finding a designated driver and limiting alcohol consumption, among other ways.
To view the study in full, visit MarketWatch.