Drunk driving crashes and arrests down for Michigan, but not for all counties

Drunk driving arrests and crashes have been decreasing in Michigan for about a decade, which lines up with a national trend
Experts said continued law enforcement presence on the road and education around impaired driving have helped
While drunk driving incidents were down in 2025, more than 7,000 drivers had blood alcohol levels twice the legal limit

Vehicle crashes involving alcohol or drugs, along with arrests for drunk driving decreased across Michigan last year, but the drops were not uniform.

There were 24,690 drunk driving arrests in 2025, down 628 from the year prior, according to Michigan State Police data released this month. While total crashes were up, crashes that involved drugs or alcohol decreased by 2.4%. And while there were 28 fewer fatal crashes, the report indicates that about 1 in 3 fatal traffic crashes in Michigan involved alcohol or drugs.

Drunk driving arrests and crashes in Michigan are also down from about a decade ago. In 2014, state police reported 9,396 alcohol-related crashes and more than 35,000 arrests.

Caroline Cash is the chief communications officer at the Governors Highway Safety Association, a national organization that represents state highway safety offices. Outside an increase early in the pandemic, she said the national trend is similar to Michigan’s.

“It has steadily declined, which is good news,” she said. “But still far too many families are faced with an empty chair or someone who is not coming home.”

Many of the 27 counties above the state average in drunk driving arrests per capita are in northern Michigan.

Macomb County in metro Detroit was among 23 counties below the state average in drunk driving crashes last year. Commander Jason Abro of the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office said the department’s strategy focuses on education and visibility.

Related:

“You have to do it continually and not once in a while,” he said. “You have to continually educate the public with the issue of impaired driving.”

For visibility, Abro said having deputies on the roads around major events or high-traffic times like the night before Thanksgiving makes a difference because “if people believe that they’re going to be stopped they’re less likely to go out and drive impaired.”

Sue Strong, a regional program manager with the Michigan Chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, said planning and responsibility play a role. Someone going out for dinner or drinks with friends will plan what to wear, where to go and who they’ll be with. Strong said that planning should also include how they’re going around.

“You know what the law is, but you have to think beyond that, about the lives you put at risk on the street,” she said. “Your car becomes a weapon.”

Cash said education is crucial, and added that those efforts should go beyond the broader public to include prosecutors and judges.

Like many states, Michigan has sobriety courts for people struggling with alcohol or drug addiction. Those specialty courts are voluntary programs that come with increased court supervision but also additional treatment resources.

Cash said that more or continued education for prosecutors and judges about speciality courts and addiction issues connected to alcohol abuse can help prevent repeat offenders.

“Screeing and assessment is huge,” she said. “We don’t want someone to plead down to a charge where they’re not going to get the help that they need.”

While the recent state police report included positive trends about lower totals and rates, the data also provides insight into the severity of impaired driving.

In 2025, more than 85% of the breath tests showed blood alcohol levels of 0.1 or higher, including 3,000 out of the more than 7,400 tests that returned levels more than twice the legal limit for someone 21 years old.

“It is the most preventive cause of traffic deaths,” said Abro of the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office. “In today’s day and age, with Uber and Lyft and the fee they charge for you to get home safely, it’s a no brainer. We should not have any drunk driving deaths.”