Drunk Driving (DUI)
Each year, there are hundreds of thousands of car accidents, but car accidents caused by drunk drivers (DUI) cause perhaps the most tragedy and ultimately the most grief. As car accident lawyers in San Diego, we have seen the pain that relatives and friends go through upon the wrongful death or serious injury of a loved one after a car accident. In 2007 alone, about 13,000 people were killed in fatal DUI car accidents.
In our experience, as car accident attorneys, it seems that for the most part, the drunk driver somehow survives and innocent people are the ones that are killed. This is a paradox that can only be remedied with better enforcement of the law, stricter laws and many sobriety checkpoints. Again, as we have said again and again, as car accident attorneys, we have no mercy on drunk drivers (DUI).
Drinking impairs your senses (vision and hearing), results in decreased muscle coordination and slower reaction times. As a result, drunk drivers (DUI) are more likely to cause a car accident than any other driver on the road. There are various organizations dedicated to lowering these staggering car accident statistics and making sure that if you do drink and drive (DUI), then you will pay for it, permanently.
As car accident attorneys, we detest those that have no regard for others and are selfish, and we have the ability to bring the wrongdoers to civil justice while leaving the criminal charges to the District Attorney. Many times in a DUI car accident, the District Attorney will ask the person injured in the drunk-driving auto accident and car accident attorney for help with something called restitution (which is a way for the DUI offender to make reparations for the harm that was caused).
In all 50 states, the legal limit for DUI is a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level of .08 or higher. Your BAC level is defined as the percentage of alcohol in your blood, and it is the most common method of measuring one’s drunkenness. While a BAC reading of .08 or higher makes it illegal to drive in the U.S., a person is still somewhat impaired by a lower level BAC. Here are the effects of differing degrees of intoxication:
BAC Level of .01 to .03
The average person appears normal. Impairment is subtle and can be detected by special tests that show a slight decline in visual and multitasking functions.
BAC Level of .03 to .06
The person begins to feel a calming sensation. The effects range from mild euphoria, increased sense of well-being, relaxation, talkativeness, joyousness and decrease inhibition. Impairment increases as alertness, judgment, coordination and concentration begin to be affected.
BAC Level of .06 to .10
When a person reaches this level of intoxication, obvious physical effects begin to appear. Reflexes, reasoning, depth perception, distance viewing, peripheral vision and glare now become serious impairments to a driver and car accidents become more likely.
BAC Level of .08 (Legal Limit)
Drunk drivers (DUI) are 11 times more likely to get in a car accident than a sober person.
BAC Level of .11 to .20
These high intoxication levels show a person that would appear very drunk. Behavioral changes include over-expression, emotional swings (angry or sad) and the person is likely to be rowdy. Impairments include a slower reaction time, loss of motor control, staggering and slurred speech — definitely not the characteristics of someone that you would want driving.
BAC Level of .20 or higher
Having this high a BAC results in an individual that begins to lose any and all judgment and motor function. There is severe motor impairment, loss of consciousness, loss of memory (blacking out) and — as BAC levels approach .30 and higher — death by alcohol poisoning becomes very possible.
What this all means is that no one should ever drive a car after having a drink. Even one drink — which would lead to a low BAC level — has been proven to impair vision and can make for a more distracted driver. As BAC levels increase, drivers become more and more likely to cause a car accident as these effects only worsen.
As car accident lawyers, we believe that there is absolutely no reason that anyone should drive a car after drinking (DUI). There are many ways to combat this problem. As car accident lawyers, we know that the easiest way to prevent DUI is to educate people to make better decisions. Simply having a designated driver saves people from car accidents. There are many organizations that are committed to stopping these preventable car accidents, such as Mothers Against Drunk Driver (MADD). They help to spread the word that drunk driving causes way too many deadly car accidents.
Another solution has been raising the minimum drinking age nation-wide from 18-years old to 21 in July of 1984. In 2007 alone, 826 lives were saved by 21-year old minimum drinking age laws according to Traffic Safety Facts. In some states, DUI offenders are required to install a key-ignition lock on their car that has an attached breathalyzer. If these drivers attempt to drive under the influence (DUI) of alcohol, the car will not start. Police officers across the country are also doubling their efforts to arrest DUI offenders, who often lose their license upon even their first such offense.
The good news regarding DUI is that the car accident statistics have actually declined in recent years. The total number of wrongful death DUI car accidents have declined for two years in a row (after a decade high of 13,582 in 2005), and the fatality rate, per 100 million vehicle miles of travel (VMT), in car accidents was at a record low of 0.43 in 2007.
As car accident attorneys, we believe DUI car accident statistics are still not low enough, but it is a start. If we can continue to educate people on the dangers of drunk-driving (DUI) car accidents, then maybe we will one day eliminate these terrible auto accidents. Just remember, one drink is too many if you plan on driving, so always have a sober person take care of the driving.
Call us now or click here for a FREE CONSULTATION with an experienced automobile accident attorney as to how we may help you at 1-800-655-6585. We look forward to providing good advice to help you make smart decisions about your case.
