Alcohol-impaired driving fatalitiesU.S. median monthly rent
US alcohol-impaired driving fatalities and US median monthly rent have, between 2015 and 2022, risen together at a correlation of 0.869. The country has, over eight years, gotten both more expensive to live in and more dangerous to drive through after a few drinks. The two crises do not talk to each other. Both are loud.
US drunk-driving fatalities climbed from around 10,500 to over 13,500 in the period, driven by vehicle fleet evolution and post-2020 enforcement collapse. Median monthly rent rose from around $900 to over $1,300, driven by housing supply shortages and post-pandemic inflation. Both trends reflect the same decade of compounding American pressures — one on the road, one in the housing market — with no causal link between the two. The drunk driver and the landlord are not in the same negotiation.
Eight years of two lines rising together can describe two separate crises escalating on the same calendar. The rent and the road are expensive for different reasons. Both are, in their ways, killing people.
As an Amazon Associate, getspurious.com earns from qualifying purchases. Learn more.
Want to learn more about why correlations like “Alcohol-impaired driving fatalities” vs “U.S. median monthly rent” don't prove causation? Read our guide to statistical thinking.
