Drunk driving killed 11,904 people in the US in 2024, according to a new report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Now road safety charity MADD is calling for anti-drunk driving technology to be fitted in all new vehicles to eradicate drink driving.
“Each of these individuals represents a life taken too soon by a crime that’s 100% preventable,” said MADD CEO Stacey D Stewart.
“While we continue working with communities, elected officials, law enforcement, and technology partners, the only sustainable path forward is to eliminate impaired driving entirely through the advancement of life-saving technology.”
NHTSA’s 2024 report also shows uneven progress across the country. While some states have reduced impaired driving fatalities compared to pre-pandemic levels, 37 states have experienced increases. Just between 2023 and 2024, 19 states saw increases in drunk driving deaths, with the highest increases in Vermont (41%), West Virginia (32%), and Oklahoma (27%).
MADD is continuing to advocate for the protection and full implementation of the bipartisan HALT Drunk Driving Law, which requires a federal standard for passive anti-drunk driving technology in all new vehicles and is projected to save more than 10,000 lives each year.
“The HALT Drunk Driving Law represents the most consequential step toward safer roads and communities,” Stewart added. “It enables technology that preserves a normal driving experience, except when someone is impaired. We are working closely with elected, government and industry officials and urge NHTSA to issue a federal safety standard requiring this technology in all new vehicles. This is how we end drunk driving for good.”
