Researchers recently released findings showing that arrests for drunk driving in Texas have trended downward over the last ten years. However, another study suggests that Texas is still one of the most dangerous states in the nation when it comes to impaired driving.
In 2018, there were 330 drunk driving arrests for every 100,000 people across the country. According to Times Record News, the average for Texas that year was lower at 259.6. There has been a decrease in drunk driving arrests in Texas of more than 32% over the past ten years. In 2009, Texas ranked 27th in the nation for most arrests related to drunk driving. As of 2018, its ranking dropped to number 36.
However, that does not mean that drunk driving is not a concern in Texas. Go San Angelo reports on another study, based on the most recent data available from 2017, that ranked Texas number five for the most dangerous states for drunk driving in the country. The study showed that there were 1,468 fatalities related to drunk driving out of 3,722 total fatalities statewide over the course of the year. This figure represented the most fatalities related to impaired driving in the entire country.
On the national level, the study indicates that most people arrested for driving drunk may have gotten behind the wheel while impaired in the past, perhaps dozens of times. There is also a belief, based on the available data, that 300,000 people nationwide drive while drunk on a daily basis, even though authorities only make 3,200 arrests per day. Across the country in 2018, the number of drunk driving arrests nationwide exceeded 1 million.