KENTUCKY — A new report reveals a troubling rise in DUI-related deaths across Kentucky in 2023, placing the state among the worst in the nation for drunk driving fatalities.
Zutobi, a driver’s education app, released its 2025 U.S. DUI Report, which analyzed crashes, fatalities, and arrests tied to DUI using the latest available data as of June 2025. The report highlighted that DUI statistics often take time to compile.
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According to Zutobi, researchers examined DUI arrests, roadway fatalities, and fatality ratios per 100,000 people for 2023. The findings show Kentucky not only ranks high for drunk driving incidents but also recorded one of the largest increases in DUI fatalities nationwide.
While the national DUI fatality rate dropped by 8.1% from 2022 to 2023 — marking the first significant improvement since before the pandemic — Kentucky saw a 12.5% surge. DUI-related deaths in the state climbed from 176 in 2022 to 198 in 2023, averaging 6.6 DUI deaths per 100,000 people.
Other key statistics from 2023 include:
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DUI fatalities accounted for 24.32% of all roadway deaths in Kentucky.
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The state reported over 438 DUI arrests per 100,000 drivers.
Nationally, Zutobi noted that DUI fatalities have fallen from 41% in 1985 to 30% in 2023, though post-pandemic rates remain higher than pre-pandemic levels.
Kentucky ranked 14th-worst in the nation for DUI severity, based on a composite score that factored in arrests, fatalities, and fatality ratios.
The report also revealed a striking gender disparity in fatal DUI crashes. Across the U.S., men are 300% more likely than women to die in a drunk driving crash. In Kentucky specifically, 116 male drivers died in DUI incidents in 2023 compared to 27 female drivers, making men about 430% more likely to die while driving impaired.
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