Hispanic Drunk Driving Fatalities
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for Hispanics ages 1 to 34. Source: Center for Transportation Safety (CTS).
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Hispanic drunk driver fatalities accounted for 14 percent of the total drunk driver fatalities of 2014. This is an 18 percent decrease from 2005 to 2014. In 2014 (latest available), there were 2,345 Hispanic drivers killed in motor vehicle crashes, including 898 (or 38%) drunk drivers (those with a BAC of .08 or higher). Among the Hispanic drunk drivers killed in motor vehicle crashes, 78% were hardcore drunk drivers (those with a BAC of .15 or higher).
According to the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), the majority of Hispanic youth under the age of 21 have not consumed alcohol. Lifetime consumption among underage Hispanic youth has decreased nearly five percent from 2014 to 2015, with 42% of Hispanic youth ages 12-20 reporting lifetime alcohol consumption in 2015. 34% of Hispanic youth ages 12 to 20 report they have consumed alcohol in the past year, down 6 percent proportionally from 2014. Nearly one in five (19%) 12 to 20 year old Hispanics report past month alcohol consumption, a 12 percent proportional decrease from 2014.