Drunk Driving Dangers: 6 Facts & Statistics
We All Know It’s Against the Law to Drink & Drive. The Injury & Death Statistics Show That Too Many of Us Ignore Risks & the Law
Alcohol and driving never mix. All too often, drinking and driving results in accidents, injuries, and deaths—even when motorists know it’s illegal and potentially deadly.
And guess when most drunk driving accidents happen?
They spike over national holidays, like Memorial Day.
So, whether you’ll be on the roads this Memorial Day or any other time in the future, knowing the facts about drunk driving can help you:
· Make smart, safer choices, both as a driver and as a passenger and pedestrian.
· Reduce your risk of a crash and potentially prevent injuries and save lives.
6 Drunk Driving Accident Statistics All Motorists Should Know
The statistics on drunk driving accidents are tragic and harrowing. They clearly show how common these wrecks are—and they highlight how negligence in the form of driver alcohol impairment can result in devastating crashes and profound losses.
1. About 1 in 3 traffic deaths involves a drunk driver: That amounts to more than 10,000 drunk driving deaths every year in the U.S.
2. Deadly drunk driving accidents double on weekends: In fact, these wrecks are most likely to occur on Friday and Saturday evenings, especially between the hours of 9 p.m. and midnight.
3. Male drivers are involved in about 4x more drunk driving accidents than female drivers: Specifically, male motorists cause more than 8,000 drunk driving crashes a year while female motorists are responsible for nearly 2,000 of these wrecks.
4. Drivers experience significant impairments at the legal limit of 0.08%: These impairments impact everything from perception to judgment and reaction times. They can also result in short-term memory loss, poor muscle coordination, and other impairments that often contribute to wrecks.
5. Texas, California & Florida see the most drunk driving accidents each year: About 1 in 3 drunk driving accidents in the U.S. occurs in one of these states. Although Colorado is not among the top 10 states for drunk driving crashes, it still sees way too many of these collisions every year.
6. Drunk driving has been on the decline since 2010: Looking back further at rates of alcohol-related crashes in 1982, and the decline is much sharper—about 65%. Many attribute this fall in alcohol-related crashes to the rise of ridesharing, ongoing efforts to educate the public about the dangers of drinking and driving, and harsher DUI laws. As promising as these trends have been, authorities are still focused on bringing the number down to zero.
It can be difficult to know if alcohol impairment is a factor in a crash, especially if you and/or the other involved parties were seriously hurt. When you need experienced help determining whether alcohol impairment or other negligence caused your wreck, you need the experienced motor vehicle accident lawyers at Bell & Pollock, P.C.
We are proud to be champions for traffic accident survivors, and we are highly skilled at developing the best Legal Game Plan™ when it’s time to recover.
From our offices conveniently located in Denver and Steamboat Springs, our lawyers provide the highest quality legal services to people throughout the Denver metro area, Arapahoe County, Routt County, and the state of Colorado.
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1 Statistics sourced from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Now a Word from Gary Bell
By Gary Bell of Bell & Pollock Injury Attorneys
Car crashes can happen in an instant. While you never know when you may be involved in a wreck, you can be ready to protect yourself if you know what to do—and what not to do—after a crash happens.
Top 6 Biggest Mistakes You Can Make After an Auto Accident
To help you protect your rights after a wreck, here are 6 common mistakes to avoid in the aftermath of an auto accident. Dodging these pitfalls can be the key to taking the right steps towards recovery and justice after crashes.
1. Not calling the police: Police can help you get medical care. They can also reroute traffic, investigate the wreck, gather important evidence, and write up detailed reports of their findings. That can include findings of liability. In some cases, the police accident report can be crucial, pointing out liability and the evidence needed to support that finding. If you do NOT call the police after a crash, it can be much more challenging to prove fault. It may even cause issues when it’s time to file a car accident claim with insurers later.
2. Not seeking or waiting to obtain medical care: Like police, doctors can play critical roles in helping crash victims. In fact, health care providers can diagnose and document the injuries caused by a traffic collision. They can also help victims get treatment. While the documentation from physicians can help establish the physical injuries caused by the crash, it can also go a long way towards demonstrating victims’ future medical needs.
3. Thinking they have forever to file a car accident claim: Colorado gives you three (3) years from the date of a crash (or the date on which your injuries are discovered) to file a claim and seek compensation. Victims who wait too long, believing they have plenty of time to pursue a claim, can lose their opportunity to recover if the statute of limitations expires.
4. Believing insurance companies are on their side: Insurers can seem helpful after a crash, but they are not paid to protect you or honor your rights. They are focused on protecting their employer and its profits. Often, that can mean looking for ways to avoid or reduce payouts. Specifically, it can result in insurers doing things like miss-assigning fault to victims, misinterpreting the evidence, or downplaying the crash injuries.
5. Taking the first settlement the insurance company offers: First offers are not usually the best offers. And insurance companies don’t always “present” these offers in ways you would expect. For example, they may send you a check; if you cash that check, you could be accepting it as the final offer on your claim. So, it’s strongly advised that you consult a lawyer whenever you may be receiving offers (or checks) from insurance companies.
6. Not contacting a lawyer: Trying to pursue a claim alone can be overwhelming, especially for those who have been seriously injured. Beyond that, it can be difficult to know who is at fault, whether multiple parties are liable, how to initiate a claim, how to negotiate with insurance companies, when to take a settlement, and so much more. An attorney can help with all of these and other essentials. In fact, victims who have the right lawyer in their corner can have far better chances of successfully resolving their claim and securing full, fair compensation.
An experienced car accident lawyer at Bell & Pollock, P.C. is ready to help you navigate the road to recovery if you or a loved one has been hurt in a motor vehicle wreck.
For honest advice, first-class service, and exceptional representation after a crash, simply contact the skilled motor vehicle accident lawyers at Bell & Pollock, P.C. We are here to help you get justice, and we know how to devise the right Legal Game Plans™ to get victims full, fair compensation so they can recover and move on with their lives.™