Drunk Driving Causes a Third of All Auto Accidents

Drunk Driving Causes a Third of All Auto Accidents

About 37 people in the United States die each day in drunk-driving accidents. That’s one person dead every 39 minutes. The number of fatal accidents involving alcohol totals one-third (32%) of all traffic accidents.

Ethyl alcohol (or ethanol) is the intoxicating ingredient found in beer, wine, and distilled spirits. Alcohol reduces brain function of the brain, and impairs thinking, reasoning, and muscle coordination—all of these are critical to safely operating a motor vehicle.

What is Blood Alcohol Concentration or BAC?

Blood alcohol level (BAC) is the amount of alcohol in your blood that develops from drinking beverages that contain alcohol. This can range from 0% (no alcohol) to over 0.4%, which is a potentially fatal level. With a BAC of .08 grams of alcohol per deciliter (g/dL) of blood, the risk of a motor vehicle accident increases dramatically.

Even though an adult driver is considered legally impaired when their blood alcohol concentration (BAC) measures 0.08 or higher, a small amount of alcohol can dramatically impact driving ability. There were more than 2300 people killed in 2022 in alcohol-related crashes where the driver had a BAC of .01 to .07 g/dL. The BAC level for DUI for persons under 21 in Georgia is .02.

Drunk Driving Statistics

Research from the NHTSA finds that drunk driving statistics vary a lot based on age, gender and location. Young people, motorcyclists, and drivers with prior DUI convictions are the most likely to drive under the influence.

Young people are the most at-risk for drunk driving. Motorists under the age of 25 account for nearly half (48%) of all fatal alcohol-impaired crashes. In addition the NHTSA data also shows that men are more likely to drive drunk than women, accounting for three-fourths of those arrested for drunk driving.

According to the most recent NHTSA data, the states with the highest number of annual alcohol-related traffic fatalities are Texas (2,159), California (1,700), and Florida (1,100). Georgia comes next with 600 deaths.

Even with the efforts of citizen activist groups like Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and public agencies like the NHTSA and CDC, the rate of drunk driving is steadily climbing after years of decline.

Most drivers understand the seriousness of drunk driving and its financial, legal, and interpersonal ramifications; however, research shows that while many drivers are concerned about the prevalence of drunk driving, a surprising number of individuals admit to driving under the influence of alcohol. That’s one reason why Georgia participates in the national mobilizations of Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over every year in conjunction with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in an efforts to educate drivers on the dangers of driving while under the influence of alcohol.

How Does An Auto Accident Attorney Help Victims of Drunk Driving Accidents?

For a drunk driving accident victim and their loved ones, there can be a number of physical, emotional, and financial effects. And they must first try to process what has happened. Impaired driving crashes are sudden and abrupt—these events give you no time to prepare, and it can take some time just to grasp the shock and distress of the trauma.

After an auto accident, injured victims may seek damages from the negligent drunk driver who caused or contributed to the accident and injuries. If a driver is found to be negligent because they were intoxicated at the time of an accident, there is a good chance of recovery on a damage claim against that driver and his or her insurance carrier. And while this may sound as easy as talking to the other driver’s insurance company claims adjuster, filing a claim, and receiving a settlement check, there can be much more to it than this.

You may not realize the types of damages you’ve suffered could include economic damages, such as lost wages, property damage, medical expenses and rehabilitation costs, and loss of earning capacity. You and your family may also have suffered non-economic damages like pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of consortium, and the loss of companionship, comfort, guidance, and advice. In some instances, your attorney may ask for punitive damages where the responsible party has acted with negligence or intentional misconduct.

When you hire an experienced auto accident attorney, they will begin the process by reviewing your initial medical treatment to assess the severity of your injuries, along with the injuries to any passengers in your vehicle. They will consider how those injuries may impact your life in the future. An experienced personal injury attorney will thoroughly investigate your accident, and determine its worth in assembling a demand letter to help prove negligence and collect compensation.

Contact Us

Drinking and driving costs Americans nearly $60 billion in deaths and damages every year. If you or a loved one has been the victim of a drunk driver crash, please make an appointment for a free consultation with a drunk driving accident lawyer at Tobin Injury Law today.

Call our law firm at 404-JUSTICE (404-587-8423) or use our online contact form to arrange your free consultation. Our experienced staff will explain the steps in the process of seeking compensation for your injuries in a case against a drunk driver. Our attorneys will help you understand your legal options, and we will fight hard to get you the compensation you need and deserve.