New state-by-state data for 2010 released by the Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) showed a decline in drunken driving fatalities in 32 states.
California and Florida saw the largest reductions with each declining by more than 100 fatalities last year.
However, the data also showed that fatalities from alcohol-impaired driving crashes continue to account for one in three deaths on U.S. roadways each year.
The NHTSA has kicked off a nationwide crackdown on drunken driving coinciding with the holiday season called "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over."
"Safety is our focus year round at DOT," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "But this holiday season, we're stepping up our efforts to get drunk drivers off our roads and reminding Americans 'drive sober, or get pulled over.' We're making gains in our fight against drunk driving, but we cannot and will not let up."
NHTSA data showed that last year, 10,228 people were killed in alcohol-impaired driving crashes.
