Despite efforts to curb drunk driving, thousands of people lose their lives in alcohol-related car accidents each year in the United States.
Nationwide in 2010, 10,228 people died in car crashes involving drunk drivers, accounting for 31 percent of all traffic fatalities. According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving, one person dies every 53 minutes, on average, in drunk driving accidents in the U.S., and about one-third of all drunk driving arrests, crashes, injuries and deaths involve repeat offenders.
In Texas, which reportedly leads the nation in drunk driving deaths, alcohol-related car accidents injure or kill someone approximately every 20 minutes, according to the Texas Department of Transportation. Statewide in 2010, 1,259 people died in car crashes involving drunk drivers, accounting for 42 percent of all traffic fatalities.
When intoxicated drivers injure or kill innocent people, victims and their families deserve justice. An experienced car accident attorney helps drunk driving victims get the compensation they need and deserve for medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering.
The legal alcohol limit for Texas drivers is a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08. The state considers drivers with a BAC of .08 or above to be driving while intoxicated (DWI). If convicted of driving while intoxicated in Texas, a person faces fines, jail time, loss of driver’s license, license surcharges, installation of an ignition interlock device and other consequences, depending on whether the person is a repeat DWI offender, whether there was a child present in the vehicle and the person’s BAC level.Some states utilize sobriety checkpoints to deter drunk drivers.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety supports the use of sobriety checkpoints, saying the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that well-publicized checkpoints cut alcohol-related car accidents by approximately 20 percent.
Mandatory interlock laws are another strategy for preventing drunk driving. An ignition interlock device is a breathalyzer system installed on one’s vehicle that requires a clean breath sample to start or continue operating the vehicle. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, as of May 2012, 14 states had mandatory interlock laws requiring ignition interlock devices for all DWI offenders regardless of BAC level or previous DWI convictions. Research indicates that mandatory interlock laws can reduce the rate of DWI recidivism.
Unfortunately, no law can keep everyone from drinking and driving. If a drunk driver seriously injured you or killed your loved one, contact a qualified car accident lawyer today to learn about your legal rights.
