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Drunk Drivers Still Serious Threat Despite Significant Progress

Motor vehicle accidents of all kinds claim an enormous toll in the form of serious injury, tragic loss of life, and billions of dollars in economic losses annually.  If you are involved in a serious auto accident and suffer substantial injuries, your life can be turned upside down. Hospital bills may pile up creating stress […]

Drunk drivers still serious threat despite significant progress

Drunk Driver Accidents

Motor vehicle accidents of all kinds claim an enormous toll in the form of serious injury, tragic loss of life, and billions of dollars in economic losses annually.  If you are involved in a serious auto accident and suffer substantial injuries, your life can be turned upside down. Hospital bills may pile up creating stress and anxiety.  The financial hardships will be exacerbated if you are the family breadwinner.  The physical and emotional challenges associated with serious injuries suffered in a car accident can make it difficult to focus on fighting with insurance companies and resolving legal hassles. Despite the enormous measures taken to end the scourge of DUI\DWI, drunk driving remains a leading cause of auto collisions.

Factors that have helped keep intoxicated drivers off the roads include

  • Use of ignition interlock devices
  • Stiffer sentences for those convicted of drunk driving
  • Establishment of a lower national 08% BAC standard
  • Zero tolerance policies for teen drivers who use alcohol and drive
  • Implementation of sobriety checkpoints and roving or saturation patrols
  • Teen graduated driver’s license programs
  • Public service campaigns aimed at informing drivers of the risk associated with mixing alcohol and driving
  • Enactment of dram shop laws, which impose liability on commercial servers that furnish alcohol to underage drivers or those who are obviously intoxicated

While these tools have done a great deal to address the problem of drunk driving injuries and deaths, DUI\DWI continues to claim the lives of those of all ages throughout the U.S.  Almost 11,000 people per year die in accidents involving drunk drivers each year across the country.  This means someone is killed by a drunk driver in our country every fifty minutes.

The worst violators of drunk driving laws continue to be a major problem.  One study found that the average drunk driver climbs behind the wheel almost 90 times before experiencing their first DUI arrest.  While it is tempting to presume that serious drunk driving accidents only happen to other people, one in three people in this country will be involved in an alcohol-related collision at some point in their life.

Drunk drivers not only cause a high number of alcohol-related collisions, these unsafe motorists also cause far too many auto-related deaths.  Drunk drivers often have a false sense of confidence in their own ability to operate a motor vehicle when under the influence of alcohol.  This misperception regarding ones driving ability often leads drivers who are under the influence of alcohol to exceed the speed limit.  When a drunk driver increases his or her speed, the driver has less response time to respond to a road hazard or curve in the road.  A driver who is under the influence of alcohol will typically exhibit the following negative impacts on their driving skills:

  • Slowed reaction times
  • Impaired judgment and decision-making
  • Decreased coordination and motor skills
  • Distorted or impaired vision
  • Dizziness or equilibrium problems
  • An accurate assessment of one’s own driving ability

It is little wonder that these sorts of negative effects associated with driving while under the influence of alcohol result in a substantial number of tragic fatal DUI accidents.  If you are injured in a motor vehicle accident with a drunk driver, the driver will generally be liable if you can show that the driver caused your injuries.  Judges and juries can award substantial punitive damage awards in these types of cases depending on applicable law and the circumstances.  Punitive damages are intended to punish conduct that is exceptionally despicable to discourage such conduct in the future.  If you or a family member have suffered injuries in a collision caused by a drunk driver, call us to speak with an experienced drunk driving accident attorney who answer your questions and discuss our legal options.

CONTACT PARKER WAICHMAN LLP FOR A FREE CASE REVIEW

Parker Waichman LLP helps families recover monetary compensation for harm caused by dangerous drivers. For your free consultation, contact our Car Accident Law Firm today by using our live chat or calling 1-800-YOUR-LAWYER (1-800-968-7529).

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