With holiday time in full swing, everyone is enjoying festivities including family parties, nights out with friends and even office luncheons. Where there is partying, there is usually alcohol. And, of course, unless you are the host, you need to be able to get home.
Far too many people get catastrophically injured and even lose their lives due to negligent motorists who party a little too much and get behind the wheels of their cars. The warning isn’t new; drunk driving and even buzzed driving kills.
According to information released this month by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there were 9,967 fatal motor vehicle crashes attributed to impaired-driving in 2014. Of those crashes, 69 percent or 6,852 involved a driver who had a BAC (blood alcohol concentration) of at least .15 percent — almost twice the legal limit! In December 2014, holiday time, 788 were killed in drunk driving accidents. That amounts to about one death every hour that month!
The NHTSA announced that this year’s anti-drunk driving campaign is called Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over. “We hope the millions of Americans who will be on the road over the holidays will make the safe choice not to drink and drive,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.
Rest assured, police officers will be vigilant about pulling over anyone who appears to be driving erratically. Protect yourself and your loves ones. In fact, this season, more than 10,000 police departments across the country are joining the “Driver Sober or Get Pulled Over” crackdown on DWI/DUI. Some things to remember:
- Don’t drink and drive.
- Don’t allow anyone you know to drive when they’ve been drinking. Take their keys.
- Call 9-1-1 if you see a motorist acting suspicious while driving
If you are going to drink at a party, make sure you have a plan in place ahead of time to get home safely. In addition to having a designated driver, the NHTSA is suggesting using its “SaferRide” app to call for assistance instead of driving. Download the app now on Google Play or iTunes.
The bottom line is this: even when you do all the right things as listed here, you don’t know what others are the road are doing. Thousands of people think they are perfectly safe to drive but, in fact, are buzzed. And, buzzed driving kills just like drunk driving does. If you or someone you love was injured or suffered wrongful death in a car accident caused by a drunk driver, you may be able to bring a legal action to collect damages. Contact an experienced personal injury lawyer today for sound representation.
The knowledgeable and compassionate DUI accident lawyers at Andres, Berger & Tran will fight for your family’s right to justice and maximum compensation following a car accident caused by a drunk driver. Contact us today for a free consultation about your case.
