Report: 26 percent decrease in impaired driving fatalities

The How Safe Are Our Roads? Report, prepared for the Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP) by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG), reveals that alcohol and drug-impaired traffic fatalities in the region decreased 26 percent between 2023 and 2024.

While these fatalities fell from 100 to 74-representing 23.2 percent of the 319 total regional traffic deaths-the report notes that impaired driving-related injuries and crashes both saw increases. Specifically, injuries rose nearly four percent to 1,649, while crashes increased two percent to 3,731. Regional arrests for driving under the influence (DUI) or driving while impaired (DWI) remained relatively stable, decreasing slightly to 8,710 from 8,727.

"During the holiday season when we commonly see increases in impaired driving, it is so important that we draw attention to these completely preventable incidents and redouble our efforts across the region to save lives," said WRAP President Kurt Erickson.

Since 1982, WRAP has served as a critical public-private partnership, utilizing education, advocacy, and programs like SoberRide® to keep the region's alcohol-impaired traffic deaths historically lower than the national average. COG continues to monitor these regional trends to evaluate road safety and inform future prevention efforts.

Learn more and read the full report.