Washington D.C. – A new study released on July 1, 2025, by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has identified a troubling convergence of factors contributing to a significant spike in impaired-driving fatalities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The comprehensive analysis points to the parallel rise of a national mental health crisis and reductions in law enforcement staffing as key drivers behind the increase in deaths linked to impaired driving between 2020 and 2022.
Analyzing fatal crash data spanning from 2018 to 2022, the IIHS research revealed a marked shift in the landscape of traffic safety. The proportion of passenger-vehicle drivers killed in crashes who had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08 percent or higher climbed from 28 percent in 2019 to 30 percent in 2020. This elevated level tragically persisted through 2022, highlighting a sustained deterioration in impaired driving safety during and immediately after the most acute phases of the pandemic.
The Lingering Shadow of the Mental Health Crisis
The study underscores a potent link between the nation’s mental health struggles during the pandemic and the rise in impaired driving. Researchers found that increases in self-reported depressive episodes and instances of suicide plans were significantly associated with a greater number of impaired-driver deaths. Specifically, a one-point increase in the proportion of adults reporting a major depressive episode was statistically linked to an estimated 304 additional deaths per year attributed to impaired driving. The association was even starker regarding suicidal ideation: a half-point increase in the proportion of adults reporting suicide plans was associated with an estimated 322 additional impaired-driver fatalities annually.
Angela Eichelberger, a senior research scientist at IIHS and author of the study, noted the pronounced impact of this factor. She indicated that the effect of the mental health crisis on the increase in impaired driving fatalities appeared to be more significant than that attributed to reductions in policing, underscoring the complex societal challenges interwoven with traffic safety.
The Role of Reduced Policing
The IIHS analysis also quantified the impact of declines in law enforcement presence. The study found a clear association between reductions in the number of full-time law enforcement personnel and an increase in impaired-driver deaths. On average, a loss of five officers per 100,000 residents was associated with an annual increase of approximately 214 more impaired-driver fatalities.
While pandemic conditions led to various operational changes within police departments and potentially altered driving patterns, the findings suggest that diminished enforcement capacity likely reduced the deterrent effect against impaired driving, contributing to the rise in fatal incidents.
Mixed Signals from Alcohol Policy Shifts
The pandemic prompted several changes in alcohol regulations across the country, and the study examined their potential influence. The results on this front were mixed. Policies allowing home delivery of alcohol from bars and restaurants were associated with an increase in impaired-driver deaths. Conversely, measures permitting the sale of alcoholic beverages to-go were unexpectedly associated with fewer impaired-driver fatalities, suggesting that the impact of such policy changes can be complex and require further investigation.
Broader Context: Increased Alcohol Consumption
The backdrop to these findings is the well-documented increase in alcohol consumption during the pandemic. The study references data indicating that as many as 60 percent of U.S. adults reported increasing their drinking in May 2020, a period coinciding with widespread lockdowns and significant societal disruption. This overall rise in consumption likely created a larger pool of individuals potentially driving while impaired, exacerbating the risks highlighted by the study’s findings on mental health and policing.
Advocating for a Safe System Approach
IIHS President David Harkey emphasized that the study’s results strongly support the adoption of a comprehensive “Safe System approach” to traffic safety. This strategy acknowledges that traffic crashes are a complex problem requiring multiple layers of intervention, rather than solely focusing on individual driver behavior.
Key components of the “Safe System approach” advocated for in light of these findings include the implementation of effective countermeasures such as sobriety checkpoints, ensuring adequate staffing levels for law enforcement agencies responsible for traffic safety, and significantly expanding access to treatment programs for both substance abuse disorders and mental health conditions. The study underscores the necessity of addressing the underlying societal factors that contribute to impaired driving, alongside traditional enforcement methods, to effectively reverse the disturbing trend observed during the pandemic years.
