Montana has had a bad reputation for drunk driving. While the state has vast roadways and a much smaller population than many other states, it seems drinking and driving is a problem it could not avoid.
The Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility explains in 2018 that per 100,000 population, Montana had an average of 7.4 fatal drunk driving accidents, whereas the national average is only 3.2. It also showed issues with underage DUIs with an average of 3.3 compared to the national average of 1.1. These figures tell us that the state has a serious drunk driving problem on its roadways, and things do not get better when looking at fatal drunk driving accident statistics.
In 2018, the state had 79 deaths resulting from drunk driving accidents. This accounted for 43.4% of all the accident deaths in that year. There were nine of those deaths that were underage individuals, which was about 33%.
The most alarming factor in these accidents was that 74.2% of the drivers had a blood alcohol content level over 0.15%. Just like every other state in the country, Montana’s legal BAC limit is 0.08%. The national average for fatal accidents with a BAC over 0.15% is 70%.
In fatal accidents involving alcohol, repeat offenders accounted for 42.9%. The national average for repeat offenders in fatal accidents is 25.4%.
Not every drunk driver ends up in an accident. Many will face arrest by an officer who suspects they are driving under the influence. Arrests for drunk driving in the state in 2018 totaled 3,794. Of those, 38 individuals were under the age of 18.
At Colton Holm Law Firm, we look forward to learning how we can help you resolve your legal concern.Call us today: (406) 259-9986