Driving Under the Influence

Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, including methamphetamine, can impair the ability to drive safely (Colorado, 2018).

DUI Collisions

From 2001 to 2021, there were 551 fatal collisions in which at least one driver tested positive for methamphetamine (methamphetamine-involved ) in LAC (Figure 1), accounting for 12% of all fatal collisions involving alcohol or drugs (N=4,608).

DUI Fatalities and Injuries

From 2001 to 2021, there were 610 fatalities and 428 injuries from methamphetamine-involved fata collisions (Figures 2-3).

DUI Drivers

Methamphetamine-positive drivers were more likely to be male, aged 25-44, and white.

Methamphetamine-positive drivers most often took meth in combination with other drugs.

Over half of the drivers who died in fatal collisions and had tested positive for methamphetamine (N=485) were aged 25-44 years (N=274, 56%) (Figure 4).

The drivers who died in fatal collisions and had tested positive for methamphetamine (N=485) were predominantly male (N=412, 85%) (Figure 5).

Among drivers who died in fatal collisions (for which race/ethnicity information was available from death certificates) and who had tested positive for methamphetamine, whites (46%) and Latinxs (39%) accounted for the largest race/ethnic group, followed by blacks (7%), Asian/Pacific Islanders (API) (3%) and other (American Indian and multiple race) (Figure 6).

Among the 552 drivers in LAC fatal collisions who tested positive for methamphetamine, over half (52%) also tested positive for other drugs, 24% also tested positive for both alcohol and other drugs, and 10% also tested positive for alcohol (BAC > 0.08). Only 14% were positive for methamphetamine alone (Figure 7).

References

Colorado Department of Public Safety. Division of Criminal Justice. Office of Research and Statistics. (2018). Driving Under the Influence of Drugs and Alcohol. A Report Pursuant to House Bill 17-1315.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2001-2021.