Volume 2, Issue 10 The Traut Firm eNewsletter December 2006 www.trautfirm.com
Vehicle Accidents - What If?
More than any time during the year, the holidays can quickly go from cheer to tragedy.
According to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA),
in 2005, 16,885 people were killed in alcohol-related crashes - an average
of one almost every half-hour. These deaths constituted approximately 39 percent
of the 43,443 total traffic fatalities.
This is a slight decrease from 2004, when 16,919 people were killed in alcohol-related traffic crashes, representing 39 percent of the 42,836 people killed in all traffic crashes.
In 2005, California had 4329 traffic accident deaths with 1719 (40%) being alcohol related. The following are some disturbing national statistics regarding drunk driving:
In 2005, there were 43,433 total traffic fatalities and of these, 12,945 involved a driver with an illegal BAC (.08 or greater).1
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for people from 3 to 33 years old.2
About one-third of all drivers arrested or convicted of driving under the influence are repeat offenders. These drivers are 40% more likely to be involved in a fatal crash than those without prior DUIs.3
In a recent study, sixty percent of those surveyed said they had operated a car or truck under the influence of alcohol or close to being under the influence of alcohol, up from 57 percent in 2000.4
If You Drive Drunk, You Will be Arrested
Approximately 1.4 million drivers were arrested in 2004 for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics. This is an arrest rate of 1 for every 139 licensed drivers in the United States (2005 data not yet available).
Research show that 88 percent of respondents support .08 percent blood alcohol concentration (BAC) as the illegal drunk driving limit.
Sobriety Checkpoints & Saturation Patrols
40 states and Washington, D.C., allow sobriety checkpoints. All states allow saturation patrols.
Research has shown that highly publicized, highly visible, and frequent sobriety checkpoints reduce alcohol-involved crashes and fatalities by an average of 20 percent.
Eighty-seven percent of Americans surveyed say they support the use of sobriety checkpoints to check for drunk drivers. 62 percent would like sobriety checkpoints to be used more often.
Eighty percent of Americans say they themselves would be discouraged from drinking and driving by sobriety checkpoints.
Well-conducted sobriety checkpoints generally delay drivers for no more than 30 seconds, and cause no traffic problems
The following is a letter written by the mother of a child killed in 1988:
On May 3, 1988, my son Courtney was playing with his two older cousins at his Grandmother’s house. Hearing the luring music of an ice cream truck, Courtney followed his cousins outside. Suddenly, a car came barreling down the street, hitting Courtney at 70-miles per hour. The car dragged his 21-one month-old body over 150 feet before it stopped. Courtney was killed instantly. The driver had a blood alcohol level of .26 at the time of the crash and was driving with a revoked license and three prior DUI convictions. When you lose a loved one to a tragedy like drunk driving, you immediately start contemplating the "what ifs." Eighteen years later, I still think about the "what ifs."
What if that man never got behind the wheel of a car because he feared getting caught by law enforcement? What if the justice system forced him to place an ignition interlock on his car after he received his first DUI conviction? What if some other technology existed that ensured that no driver ever got behind the wheel of a car drunk?
These are the types of "what ifs" that Mothers Against Drunk Driving and other groups throughout the country seek to answer.
If you or someone in your family has been the victim of a drunk driver, contact us by completing our Case Evaluation form or simply call toll free 1-877-Traut-Firm. Consultation is free. There is no fee unless and until you win your case.
The Traut Firm
"When You Mean Business"
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