Chart assignment
Charts to read and discuss
Read each chart, then answer its questions. Every chart shows its source and date; open it for a table of the numbers and the data to download.
Chart 1 of 1 · Road safety
What share of U.S. traffic deaths involve an alcohol-impaired driver?
The interactive chart needs JavaScript. The numbers are on the chart's page.
In 2024, 30% of U.S. traffic deaths were in crashes where a driver had a blood alcohol level of .08 or more, the legal limit in every state but Utah (.05). The share fell from 48% in 1982 to about 30% by the late 1990s. Many drivers in fatal crashes aren't tested, so NHTSA estimates the missing levels statistically; these are its estimates.
Questions to discuss
- In one sentence of your own, what does this chart show?
- Find the biggest change or difference in the chart. What might explain it?
- Who collected these numbers, and how recent are they? What else would you want to know before drawing a conclusion?
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) (Public domain (U.S. government work)) · Data as of Dec 31, 2024
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