Traffic Safety Facts: Fatalities Related to Alcohol-Impaired Driving During the Christmas and New Year’s Day Holiday Periods

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December 3rd, 2018

On average from 2001 to 2005 (the last year for which complete data is available), about 40 percent of all fatalities during the Christmas and New Year holiday periods have occurred in crashes where at least one of the involved drivers was alcohol-impaired as compared to about 28 percent of all fatalities during the rest of December. This year, NHTSA estimates that about 430 fatalities could potentially occur in motor vehicle traffic crashes during the Christmas and New Year Holiday periods in crashes involving an impaired driver. In 2007, both Christmas and New Year’s fall on Tuesdays and hence both holiday periods are considered four-day holiday periods for reporting purposes.