Alcohol Related Car Accidents

The alarming figures with regard to the number of deaths caused by car accidents that involve alcohol have prompted state governments and the Federal Government to take critical steps to prevent fatalities. One of these steps is to lower the allowable blood alcohol concentration (BAC) from 100 mg/dl to 80 mg/dl. However, such measures have proven to be inadequate as more recent figures show a dramatic increase in deaths caused by car accidents involving alcohol. More stringent laws have to be enacted to prevent these accidents, which may include imposing stiffer penalties for DUI or driving under the influence cases.

Recent figures show that instead of the expected decrease in the number of alcohol related deaths as a result of imposing a lower BAC, quite the opposite has occurred. In the last ten years, around 250,000 people died in alcohol related car accidents in the United States. Figures show that 16,000 people were killed in the year 2000, due to alcohol related accidents. In 2004, that figured climbed to 25,000. This means that 500 people die every week and 71 people die everyday in alcohol related car accidents.

In addition to these figures, estimates show that the economic and societal cost of alcohol related car accidents are very high. Alcohol impaired drivers cost American taxpayers about 21 to 24 billion dollars a year. Other studies show a much higher figure of $136 billion dollars is spent on alcohol related accidents. This is in addition to the huge insurance costs of alcohol related accidents and the injury, destruction and death that come with them.

State and Federal Governments have lowered the allowable BAC that is aimed at lowering the number of deaths caused by drunk driving. However, recent figures show that there has been a dramatic increase in the number of deaths caused by drunk driving. Given this, there may be a need for more stringent interventions, such as imposing stiffer penalties for DUI cases. This has the potential of effectively preventing more deaths caused by alcohol related car accidents.

Fast Facts About Drunk Driving According to a DUI Attorney

DUI is probably one issue that is inexorably getting disturbingly close to home. In fact, it is one incident that may have been experienced by half of the population as least once in their lifetime. This is one major reason why we have to learn some important points as we look for ways in linking up with a Las Vegas DUI attorney. Our knowledge at how we can get some legal assistance and guidance from a competent Las Vegas DUI lawyer will come in handy if we suddenly find ourselves flagged down for DUI.

Here are some important issues that require our serious attention.

Police authorities report around 600,000 or 10% of all motor vehicle crashes annually in the US are directly attributable to drunk driving. It is one clear indication why a DUI lawyer is kept busy all year round. Another related study showed that almost half or 40% in the US has had varying degrees of motor vehicle accidents at least once in their lifetime due to alcohol consumption.

In Illinois alone, there were about 56,680 DUI arrests in 2005 and 90% of these arrests led to the revocation of the driver's license. The ratio of motor vehicle crashes that led to deaths increases 4 times at nighttime. On the national level, there are about 748,000 incidents of personal injuries caused by drunk driving every year which means that on the average there is one American getting injured from alcohol related crashes every minute. More than half of the 414 juvenile deaths in motor vehicle crash incidents in 2006 involved drinking drivers.

The probability of men figuring in serious vehicle accidents with their blood alcohol content at 0.08 % or more is almost double than that of women, and youths are generally more prone to car crashes at any level of BAC than their adult counterparts. There are also more men below the legal age of drinking than any other age bracket who were found to be driving while impaired as a result of alcohol consumption. Another study have found out that heavy drinkers almost always prefer to do their drinking outside of their homes and in bars or another individual's home, which are normally just a short drive from their residences. All these results have all the indications why BAC is one of the more contentious points that draw a lot of attention from a DUI lawyer.

Of the total fatalities in alcohol related accidents, about 12.8 percent of these intoxicated individuals were found using their seatbelts as opposed to about 33% of sober individuals who perish in motor vehicle accidents.

The measurement of the level of blood alcohol content of motorist is a critical aspect in the prevention of fatal motor vehicle accidents. It is a scientific measure that establishes the legal limits of an individual's capacity to drive a motor vehicle when found drunk while driving. The implementation of pertinent alcohol regulation laws may vary from state to state and you have to discuss the details of its implementation with a competent DUI lawyer.

Our Teens and Drunk Driving

Drink driving is responsible for a large number of deaths, injuries and accidents every year all over the world, and the problem doesn’t seem to be getting any better either. When consumed, alcohol seems to take away any healthy fears or responsibilities that the person would probably have in their sober state. This problem needs to be nipped in the bud otherwise we're going to see an even bigger increase in the crisis with our teens and drunk driving related deaths, accidents and injuries.

Every parent does the best they can for their kids, but the bottom line is that once they get to those teenage years, many are more likely to go thorough a period where they are influenced by their peers rather than their parents. Unfortunately, many students are exposed to drinking at high school. There are some youngsters that seem to be constantly drinking and driving and never have an incident, whereas others have just one weak moment that ends in a driving catastrophe. I wish it wasn't the case, but teens and drunk driving related incidents are on the increase.

Drinking alcohol and driving a vehicle is a potentially deadly cocktail of events at any age, but statistically, teens and drunk driving is even worse. Whether drunk or sober, when a young driver gets behind the wheel of a car, many of them feel the need to make an impression on their passengers by driving erratically and at high speeds. We all know that 'speed' kills, but speeding cars plus intoxicated drivers is just asking for trouble.

Teens and drunk driving offences are not just something the bad kids do either, as even the smartest, the most reserved, and the most unlikely of them all, can and do fall victim to peer pressure on occasions. Another problems with teens (and I can remember this too!), is that they think they are indestructible and nothing bad could ever possibly happen to them. Even with educational programs and available statistics, most still think these are things that only happen to 'other people'.

Remember, it's not always drunk drivers that become the killed or injured parties. Many innocent passenger, motorists, and bystanders can get caught up in accidents caused by a drunk driver too. So what's the answer? I guess, education, education, and more education on the perils of teens and drunk driving related incidences.

But I found a solution with my kids that seems to have worked wonders in installing a little sense and understanding into their growing minds. I made it an issue, a debate to be discussed, as opposed to a lecture on the dangers. It was also an education for me as a parent to realise that open discussion as opposed to laying down the laws was an effective way to communicate with adolescents and young adults.

By asking the boys for their feelings on the subject and also letting them know how worried their mother and I were about this growing problem, had us all sitting down and chatting for ages. We didn't speak at them, we discussed with them, and there is a big difference. What's more, we listened to what they had to say without interruption and I think that by the end of our conversation we had planted a seed of sensibility into their minds regarding teens and drunk driving.

Only time will tell, but we've found that by treating the kids as young adults instead of potential scoundrels has given both sides a little more mutual respect and that means they are more susceptive and less rebellious towards our ideals.