December 28, 2016
ARLINGTON, Va. - New Year's evokes visions of celebrations and fresh beginning but, unfortunately, the holiday has a more somber side when it comes to alcohol and crashes.
Jan. 1 is the deadliest day on average for alcohol related crashes involving a motor vehicle, pedestrian or bicyclist, a new Insurance Institute for Highway Safety analysis shows.
Using the five most recent years of available fatal crash data, IIHS researchers found that every New Year's Day an average of 70 lives were lost in crashes in which at least one driver, pedestrian, or bicyclist had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08 percent or higher.
Sixty-two percent of the average of 113 crash deaths on Jan. 1 were due to alcohol impairment. That is nearly double the overall impairment rate of 35 percent during the 2011-15 period.
Jan. 1 also is the deadliest day for occupants of cars, minivans, pickup trucks and SUVs. Across the five-year study period, an average of 83 lives were lost in passenger vehicle crashes on New Year's Day.
In comparison, an average of 59 people died in passenger vehicle crashes on any given day during 2011-15. The data in the analysis are from the federal Fatality Analysis Reporting System, an annual census of fatal crashes on U.S. roads.
"Don't get caught up in the levity of celebrations and forget common sense. Plan your ride home before the party starts to minimize your risk and mark a safe start to 2017," says Joe Nolan, IIHS senior vice president for vehicle research.
It's not just drivers who need to be cautious. Although pedestrians and bicyclists are at risk of being struck by impaired drivers, they also are at risk when they have been over indulging themselves.
In 2015, 46 percent of pedestrians and 36 percent of bicyclists age 16 and older killed in crashes between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. had BACs at or above 0.08 percent.
Days with the highest percentage of crash deaths related to alcohol impairment, 2011-15
Total deaths |
At least 1 driver, pedestrian, or bicyclist with BAC>= 0.08% |
Percent of crash deaths |
|
| January 1 | 567 |
352 |
62% |
| July 4 | 612 |
298 |
49% |
| March 24 | 371 |
153 |
41% |
| April 27 | 449 |
185 |
41% |
| August 9 | 529 |
217 |
41% |
| March 8 | 388 |
159 |
41% |
| October 27 | 490 |
199 |
41% |
| November 2 | 478 |
194 |
41% |
| June 16 | 535 |
216 |
40% |
| May 3 | 560 |
226 |
40% |
Days with the most passenger vehicle occupant crash deaths, 2011-15
| Total deaths |
Average deaths per day |
|
| January 1 | 414 |
82.8 |
| November 1 | 376 |
75.2 |
| November 21 | 365 |
73.0 |
| December 14 | 365 |
73.0 |
| May 3 | 364 |
72.8 |
| November 22 | 360 |
72.0 |
| June 25 | 358 |
71.6 |
| June 26 | 358 |
71.6 |
| November 15 | 357 |
71.4 |
| November 10 | 355 |
71.0 |
| November 23 | 355 |
71.0 |
