TIRF USA has conducted an annual Road Safety Monitor public opinion poll series since 2015 in partnership with TIRF in Canada and with sponsorship from the Anheuser-Busch Foundation. Each year, a report is published on the prevalence of drinking and driving, reasons behind decisions to drive impaired and characteristics of the drivers. Additionally, the prevalence of impaired driving is compared to the prevalence of other risky behaviors such as distracted driving, fatigued driving, aggressive driving, and drug-impaired driving.

The 2023 fact sheet summarizes key findings regarding the prevalence of alcohol-impaired driving, reasons for engaging in this behavior and characteristics of these drivers. New work underway from TIRF’s Working Group on DWI Systems Improvements can help communities tackle this issue by implementing an impaired driving strategy based on the Safe System Approach.

The percentage of drivers who often or very often reported driving while alcohol-impaired declined to 8.4%, down from 10.3% in 2022. In addition, Self-reported alcohol-impaired driving is the least prevalent among top road risks, including speeding through a traffic light (18.7%), speeding well over the limit (16.7%), fatigued driving (15%), and driving after consuming THC (10.8%). Positively, in 2023, the estimated number of safe rides reached 199 million (a new record exceeding pre-pandemic levels), with over 80% of drivers reporting they relied on safe rides as an alternative strategy to avoid alcohol-impaired driving.

The poll also explored reasons why this minority of drivers chose to drive when they thought they were over the legal limit. This knowledge is critical to guide prevention strategies. Notably, in the past five years, there has been a fairly steady downward trend in one of the primary reasons given by drivers, suggesting education is important for continued progress.