As the holiday season kicks off, many law enforcement agencies in Florida and other public awareness groups often launch campaigns to encourage more people not to drink and then drive. The reason for this is simple. Drunk driving is dangerous. If you have ever wondered how many people die in drunk driving crashes, you are not alone.
Statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration give a view into how extensive the problem of drunk driving really is in Florida. In 2015, the number of people killed in drunk driving accidents was higher than it been since 2008. In 2008, there were 897 such deaths. That number dropped to 777 and then to 694 the following two years, rising again to 709 in 2012. In 2013, these deaths dropped again to 672 and then began a dangerous rise to 694 in 2014. In 2015, a total of 797 people lost their lives in these senseless crashes.
In Collier County, there were 49 drunk driving fatalities in the five years spanning between 2011 and 2015. Neighboring Monroe, Hendry and Lee Counties recorded 28, 13 and 111 deaths in the same time period, respectively. Broward County was the location of 253 vehicular deaths in alcohol-related wrecks in these five years. Palm Beach County experienced a total of 195 fatalities in the same time span. In Miami-Dade County, impaired drivers took the lives of between 51 and 87 people each year.
This information is not intended to provide legal advice but is instead meant to give Florida residents an overview of how serious drunk driving accidents are and how many lives are lost in them every year.