Impaired Driving in Michigan
Impaired driving—whether caused by alcohol or drugs—poses a constant threat on our roads. Late summer and the Labor Day holiday period are among the deadliest times of the year for crashes and fatalities involving impaired drivers.
Over the Labor Day holiday weekends from 2021 to 2025, there were a total of 46 driver fatalities in traffic crashes in Michigan. In those crashes, 39.1 percent of the drivers killed were alcohol- and/or drug-impaired, according to the Michigan State Police (MSP) Criminal Justice Information Center and the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute.
In 2025 alone, of the 1,002 fatal crashes that occurred across the state, 248 (24.8 percent) were alcohol-involved and 195 (19.5 percent) were drug-involved.
During the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign—running August 14 through September 7—there will be increased enforcement as well as a statewide paid media campaign about the dangers of driving impaired. During the enforcement, the MSP, along with local law enforcement agencies across Michigan, will encourage motorists to celebrate the late summer and upcoming holiday weekend with safe-driving decisions.
There is positive news: Since alcohol-involved fatalities decreased to 264 in 2025, a 14 percent drop from the 307 deaths in 2024, and drug-involved fatalities fell to 210, a decrease of 23 percent from the 272 deaths in 2024.
During the enforcement, police officers will be on the lookout for motorists under the influence of drugs and alcohol. In Michigan, it is illegal to drive with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher, although drivers can be arrested at any BAC level if an officer believes they are impaired.
The “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” enforcement campaign, administered by the OHSP, is supported with federal traffic safety funds provided by the United States Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. LOther facts drivers should know
Based on these three stages of an investigation, a police officer may request a chemical test. If a driver refuses to submit to a chemical test, their license will be suspended pursuant to Michigan’s implied consent law. Under this law, all drivers are considered to have given consent to the test when they apply for and renew their driver’s license.
Do you know the costs and consequences of driving impaired?