2014 DUI Report

A charge of DUI, or Driving Under the Influence is very serious. Choosing to drive while under the influence has several lasting ramifications. For one thing, Oklahoma drunk driving is a significant cause of injuries and fatalities on the roads. Second, the law is not on your side — a DUI charge carries strong penalties. This is why McIntyre Law, P.C. keeps tabs on drunk driving statistics every year — it’s important to us to contribute to the safety and security of our community, and we want to make sure that you know the risks and the consequences.

The statistics on drunk driving below are from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Oklahoma Highway Safety Office (OHSO), Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), and the U.S. Census. Check out the data below for updated trends and facts about DUI.

Good news! Decreased number of fatalities in alcohol-related accidents

Fatalities in alcohol-related accidents have decreased 9% in the last year

In the last year, the number of fatalities in alcohol-related accidents has decreased by nine percent. It has leveled off a bit from the previous year’s decrease of nearly 28 percent, but it’s still encouraging that the rate continues to decrease. In 2007, drunk driving statistics showed 229 fatalities in that year. That’s almost a 25 percent decline in eight years, but let’s take a closer look at how the statistics on drunk driving break out among different populations.

2014 Gender trends in alcohol-related crashes

Continuing the trend from last year in Oklahoma, drunk driving fatalities are more likely to be caused by males. Male drivers were responsible for fatalities in 87 percent of alcohol-related crashes, while females made up 13 percent. However, the more interesting drunk driving statistics here are that even though they were responsible for fewer fatalities, women were still behind the wheel for 25 percent of alcohol-related crashes last year. What’s the takeaway from this? We can surmise that Oklahoma drunk driving is not a male- or female-related problem — both men and women are engaging in this unsafe behavior and more prevention is necessary in order to keep people off the roads when they’ve been drinking.

Where do DUI accidents happen?

Most alcohol-related crashes happen on dark, unlit roads

Statistics on drunk driving show that accidents happen everywhere, under all kinds of conditions and circumstances. Between last year and this year, these figures didn’t change much. We’re still seeing that the most accidents happen on dark or unlit roads, but accidents on dark, lighted roads and daylight accidents are not far behind. The fewest alcohol-related accidents occur at dawn and dusk.

Oklahoma Alcohol-Related Crashes, Injuries and Fatalities, 2007-2014

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Crashes 4,980 5,201 4,972 4,614 4,411 4,291 3,824 3,558
Injuries 3,442 3,612 3,452 3,248 3,156 3,153 2,696 2,505
Fatalities 229 266 209 245 244 261 189 172

The harsh reality is that in Oklahoma, drunk driving continues to be a problem. Between 2006 and 2014, there were more than 76 fatalities each in Tulsa and Oklahoma counties. The counties with the next-highest concentrations of DUI fatalities are Cleveland and Comanche. The Oklahoma counties with the fewest DUI fatalities from 2006-2014 are Cimarron, Texas, Harper, Woods, Alfalfa, Harmon, Tilman, Cotton and Jefferson.

County by County Trends, 2007-2014

County by county alcohol-related fatalities

Counties with the Most Fatalities, 2007-2014

County Total Fatalities
Oklahoma County 197
Tulsa County 196
Cleveland County 55
Comanche County 50
Canadian County 45
Caddo County 42
Okmulgee County 42
Wagoner County 42
Delaware County 41
Creek County 39

Counties with the Least Fatalities, 2007-2014

County Total Fatalities
Harmon County 0
Harper County 2
Cimarron County 3
Cotton County 3
Tillman County 3
Woods County 3
Alfalfa County 4
Jefferson County 4
Texas County 5
Coal County 6

Interestingly, the statistics for how many alcohol-related fatalities occurred in each county continue to change. Below, you can see which counties had the largest increases or decreases in the past two years. Notably, Cimarron, Dewey and Seminole counties all had increases of more than 20 fatalities. Craig, McClain, Johnston and Kiowa counties saw the biggest decrease in fatalities in recent years.

Increases and Decreases in Alcohol-Related Fatalities by County, 2013-2014

Increases and decreases  alcohol-related fatalities by county

Counties with the Greatest Increase in Fatalities, 2013-2014

County 2013 2014 Population Change in Fatalities per 100,000 People
Cimarron County 0 1 2,294 43.59
Seminole County 1 7 25,421 23.60
Dewey County 0 1 4,914 20.35
Choctaw County 1 4 15,161 19.79
Beaver County 0 1 5,486 18.23

Counties with the Greatest Decrease in Fatalities, 2013-2014

County 2013 2014 Population Change in Fatalities per 100,000 People
Kiowa County 3 0 9,336 -32.13
Johnston County 3 0 11,103 -27.02
McClain County 4 2 7,750 -25.81
Craig County 4 1 14,582 -20.57
Greer County 2 1 6,151 -16.26

Sometimes drunk driving statistics are strongly affected by the density in a certain area. Cimarron county saw the greatest number of fatalities relative to its population in recent years.

Fatalities in Alcohol-Related Crashes by Population, 2007-2014

Fatalities in Alcohol-Related Crashes by Population, 2006-2014

Counties with the Highest Fatality Rate, 2007-2014

County Actual Fatalities Population Fatalities per 100,000 People
McClain County 26 7,750 335.48
McCurtain County 32 16,182 197.75
Roger Mills County 7 3,761 186.12
Grant County 7 4,501 155.52
Mayes County 30 20,088 149.34
Greer County 9 6,151 146.32
Ellis County 6 4,150 144.58
Pushmataha County 16 11,125 143.82
Caddo County 42 29,317 143.26
Cimarron County 3 2,294 130.78

Counties with the Lowest Fatality Rate, 2007-2014

County Actual Fatalities Population Fatalities per 100,000 People
Harmon County 0 2,798 0.00
Major County 6 37,313 16.08
Cleveland County 55 269,908 20.38
Texas County 5 21,853 22.88
Jackson County 6 25,998 23.08
Oklahoma County 197 76,6215 25.71
Garfield County 18 63,091 28.53
Tulsa County 196 629,598 31.13
Woods County 3 9,288 32.30
Payne County 27 80,264 33.64

Accidents happen, but DUI is preventable. In fact, lots of accidents happen because of things that could have been prevented — distracted driving and drowsy driving, especially by truckers — continue to be a problem. If you or a loved one were injured in an accident, McIntyre Law can help. Our lawyers have several decades of experience in personal injury lawsuits that include vehicle accidents.

Regardless of where you live, work or travel, Oklahoma drunk driving continues to be a problem. However, each of us can do our part by staying sober on the roads, and making sure that our friends and family do, too. Don’t become a statistic — stay safe, and always have a designated driver in advance if you’re planning to drink.

At McIntyre Law, it’s our mission to improve safety and protect the rights of Oklahoma car accident victims. We share these statistics in order to help raise awareness of this very important issue. If you or a loved one has been injured because of a drunk driving accident and you need the help of a personal injury lawyer, please contact us for a free, no-obligation consultation.

If you would like to help increase awareness of Oklahoma drunk driving, please join the conversation by contacting the local Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) chapter nearest you:

  • Oklahoma MADD Chapter
    Phone: 405-748-3122
    Email: ok.state@madd.org
    Web: https://www.madd.org/oklahoma/
  • Oklahoma SADD Chapter
    PO Box 53277
    Oklahoma City, OK 73152
    Phone: 405-522-2700
    Email: tiffani.henry@odmhsas.org