Driving
Driving in the United States Risk Calculator
The average adult in the US drives about 14,000 miles per year. But driving carries real risks of fatality and serious injury.
This calculator estimates expected risk over a year, assuming 14,000 miles of driving, under different scenarios: time of day, seat-belt use, alcohol impairment, distraction, and speeding. It is based on national crash data.
Your Inputs
Choose your driving conditions below:
distance_miles=14000
Driving at night increases risk because more crashes happen in fewer miles:
Wearing a seat belt greatly reduces the risk of death or serious injury:
How often does the driver drive after drinking too much (frequency of impaired driving):
How often does the driver interact with a phone (dialing/texting/etc.) while driving:
Higher speeds increase both crash likelihood and severity:
Your Results
Note: “Injuries” reflect police-reported injuries.
See the driving data page for all of the details on how these risks are calculated.
Generated by ChatGPT-5