Las Vegas DUI Death Risk Trails Other Major Cities

Posted on: March 6, 2025, 03:57h. 

Last updated on: March 6, 2025, 03:57h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.
  • Research suggests Las Vegas’ DUI death rate is better than other cities
  • Las Vegas has 24/7 alcohol sales
  • Nevada is the only state where alcohol can be sold anytime

Las Vegas is affectionately known as “Sin City,” and the casino town’s motto is famously, “What Happens Here, Stays Here.”

Las Vegas DUI death fatality Nevada
Law enforcement officers with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s DUI Investigations division probe a fatal accident on Sunday, Aug. 4, 2022. Las Vegas has a lower DUI death rate than many other cities, a new study found. (Image: ABC Las Vegas)

With the city’s endless gambling and indulgent pleasures, many visitors act a bit out of character while in Southern Nevada. But when it comes to highway safety, Las Vegas isn’t the worst place in the world.

Alcohol is served 24/7 in Nevada and recreational marijuana is legal. Many other illicit materials are widely available. Despite the around-the-clock availability of intoxicating substances, a new study finds that one’s odds of being involved in a fatal vehicle accident involving an impaired driver are better in Las Vegas than in many other major cities.

Summit Defense Criminal Lawyers, a California Bay Area defense practice specializing in DUI, recently conducted a national study to determine which U.S. cities have the highest risk of drunk driving fatality. The review considered and analyzed several key factors, including the number of fatal crashes involving drivers with a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.08 or higher, the proportion of total fatal accidents caused by impaired driving, and the percentage of adults who engage in binge drinking.

The composite score for each city is calculated by combining normalized drunk driving and binge drinking rates, where the highest number indicates an increased risk of drunk driving fatal accidents,” the study researchers said.

Las Vegas was founded to have a composite score of 50.43. That greatly lagged Austin at the top spot with a score of 89.21.

The composite scores were weighted 50% based on the total number of fatal accidents. The other 50% was weighted based on the number of fatal DUI accidents involving a driver with a BAC of 0.08 or greater, the number of fatal DUI accidents involving a driver with a BAC of .15 or higher, and the percentage of binge drinkers aged 18 and older. 

Las Vegas DUI Numbers 

The Summit Defense study reported that Las Vegas, home to nearly 661,000 people, experienced 49 fatal DUI accidents last year.

The report said 21 of those accidents involved a BAC above 0.8 but below .15. There were 13 fatal DUI accidents involving an impaired driver with a BAC above .15. About 69% of fatal vehicle accidents in Las Vegas last year involved an impaired driver.

Researchers found that less than two in 10 Las Vegas adults binge drink, a relatively good stat compared with other major cities analyzed.

In Austin, nearly three in 10 reported being binge drinkers. The Texas capital city experienced 113 total fatal accidents, with 94 involving a DUI for a composite score of over 89.

Chicago had the second-highest composite score but was almost 21 points lower than Austin’s at 68.33. The Windy City, home to more than 2.6 million people, experienced 173 fatal vehicular accidents, with 105 involving DUI.

The other cities wither higher drunk driving death risk, at least according to the California law firm, were Dallas, San Antonio, Kansas City, Charlotte, Fort Worth, Denver, Houston, and El Paso.

DUI News

Las Vegas might not be as risky when it comes to DUI fatalities as many might have presumed, but, of course, that doesn’t mean there aren’t regular news stories about alcohol-impaired accidents and deaths.

Last month, Casino.org reported on an impaired driver being sentenced to four years in prison. Charlie Hernandez, 29, will remain behind bars until at least 2029 after he pleaded guilty to driving drunk in his Dodge Challenger at speeds up to 140 mph when he collided with a Hyundai Accent at the intersection of Las Vegas Blvd. and Walnut Rd.

The victim, Luciano Chavez, 38, died. His passenger was also seriously injured.

A more notorious DUI death case in Las Vegas occurred in 2021 involving then-Las Vegas Raiders football player Henry Ruggs III. Ruggs admitted to driving his Corvette at speeds over 150 mph when he rear-ended a 23-year-old stopped at a red light, killing her and her dog. Ruggs, who had a BAC of 0.16, was sentenced to three to 10 years in prison, a sentence that upset many in the community.