29 Dec

Facts About Drunk Driving That You Should Know

Florida Law Group Car Accidents, In the News, Tips

Facts About Drunk Driving That You Should Know

These are statistics you need to read before all of the New Year’s celebrations commence!

The holidays are some of the worst times for travel. This is due to many reasons – people are in a rush to get gifts, people are stressed and distracted about all of the festivities, it gets darker earlier, and weather causes dangerous road conditions (though not in Florida). But perhaps one of the major contributors to the high collision and fatality rate around the end of the year is drunk driving.

Blackout Wednesday, Christmas Eve, and New Years’ Eve boast the highest drunk driving rates of the year. We’re about to enter 2020. While more education about the dangers of drunk driving combined with the prevalence of ridesharing companies like Uber and Lyft has decreased the rate of drunk driving accidents, these accidents still happen much too frequently.

A drunk driving accident can change your life forever. You probably know that….but here are some things about drunk driving that you may not know.

• According to NHTSA (National Highway Traffice and Safety Administration), while driving fatalities due to drunk driving are down, the number of drunk driving fatalities involving pedestrians and cyclists increased by 3.4% (for pedestrians) and 6.4% (for cyclists). These are the highest fatality rates in these categories since 1990.
• You can get a DUI while operating a tractor, while parked, while on private property, if you have an open container of alcohol in your car, while riding a bicycle, and while operating a boat/jetski/\other watercraft (so if you’re boating on New Year’s Eve, make sure the driver stays sober!) .
• Damages and deaths from drunk driving crashes cost $52 billion every year.
• One person died in a collision involving a drunk driver every 50 minutes in 2016.
• Your driving skills can be impaired even if your BAC is at 0.02, which is much less than the legal limit of 0.08.
• In 2018, 10,511 people died in drunk driving accidents.
• More than 300,000 incidents of drunk driving occur every day, but only 2,800 incidents result in arrests.
• 1 in 7 teens binge drink, but only 1 in 100 parents beleives their teen binge drinks.
• The average person metabolizes alcohol at the rate of about one drink per hour.
• About 1 in 3 drivers arrested for drunk driving are repeat offenders.
• Only time will sober a person up; coffee, exercise, and cold showers do not make sobriety come on faster.
• Highway fatalities caused by drunk drivers are so predictable that many state highway patrol departments issue fatality estimates before holidays and often prove accurate.
• About 1 in 3 people will be involved in an alcohol-related crash in their lifetimes.
• Men are more likely than women to drive drunk.

Drunk driving accidents are preventable. If you are drinking this New Year’s, don’t drive home. Don’t drive buzzed or tipsy or drunk. The risk is too high and the consequences aren’t worth it! Designate a driver or plan a safe ride home; call an Uber or Lyft, a taxi, a sober friend. Never let a friend drive drunk. If you are hosting a New Year’s Eve party with alcohol, make sure all guests are sober before they drive home. And if you are a responsible driver, wear your seatbelt and exercise increased caution before crossing intersections on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

We hope you are never involved in a drunk driving accident, but statistics reveal that 1 in 3 people will be, at some point in their life. If a drunk driver has injured you or a loved one, or taken the life of someone you love, contact The Florida Law Group. We know that the grief and multiple resulting burdens from an accident can be devastating, and we want to help you get the justice you deserve and the financial restitution you need to heal. Our compassionate, expert team will handle your case, advocating for you every step of the way and seeking maximum compensation! Our law firm has been nationally recognized for our ability to get verdicts for our clients. We proudly offer all services on a contingency fee basis, meaning that you do not pay us unless we win a settlement!

Stay safe, and Happy New Year from the Florida Law Group!

Facts About Drunk Driving That You Should Know

These are statistics you need to read before all of the New Year’s celebrations commence!

The holidays are some of the worst times for travel. This is due to many reasons – people are in a rush to get gifts, people are stressed and distracted about all of the festivities, it gets darker earlier, and weather causes dangerous road conditions (though not in Florida). But perhaps one of the major contributors to the high collision and fatality rate around the end of the year is drunk driving.

Blackout Wednesday, Christmas Eve, and New Years’ Eve boast the highest drunk driving rates of the year. We’re about to enter 2020. While more education about the dangers of drunk driving combined with the prevalence of ridesharing companies like Uber and Lyft has decreased the rate of drunk driving accidents, these accidents still happen much too frequently.

A drunk driving accident can change your life forever. You probably know that….but here are some things about drunk driving that you may not know.

• According to NHTSA (National Highway Traffice and Safety Administration), while driving fatalities due to drunk driving are down, the number of drunk driving fatalities involving pedestrians and cyclists increased by 3.4% (for pedestrians) and 6.4% (for cyclists). These are the highest fatality rates in these categories since 1990.
• You can get a DUI while operating a tractor, while parked, while on private property, if you have an open container of alcohol in your car, while riding a bicycle, and while operating a boat/jetski/\other watercraft (so if you’re boating on New Year’s Eve, make sure the driver stays sober!) .
• Damages and deaths from drunk driving crashes cost $52 billion every year.
• One person died in a collision involving a drunk driver every 50 minutes in 2016.
• Your driving skills can be impaired even if your BAC is at 0.02, which is much less than the legal limit of 0.08.
• In 2018, 10,511 people died in drunk driving accidents.
• More than 300,000 incidents of drunk driving occur every day, but only 2,800 incidents result in arrests.
• 1 in 7 teens binge drink, but only 1 in 100 parents beleives their teen binge drinks.
• The average person metabolizes alcohol at the rate of about one drink per hour.
• About 1 in 3 drivers arrested for drunk driving are repeat offenders.
• Only time will sober a person up; coffee, exercise, and cold showers do not make sobriety come on faster.
• Highway fatalities caused by drunk drivers are so predictable that many state highway patrol departments issue fatality estimates before holidays and often prove accurate.
• About 1 in 3 people will be involved in an alcohol-related crash in their lifetimes.
• Men are more likely than women to drive drunk.

Drunk driving accidents are preventable. If you are drinking this New Year’s, don’t drive home. Don’t drive buzzed or tipsy or drunk. The risk is too high and the consequences aren’t worth it! Designate a driver or plan a safe ride home; call an Uber or Lyft, a taxi, a sober friend. Never let a friend drive drunk. If you are hosting a New Year’s Eve party with alcohol, make sure all guests are sober before they drive home. And if you are a responsible driver, wear your seatbelt and exercise increased caution before crossing intersections on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

We hope you are never involved in a drunk driving accident, but statistics reveal that 1 in 3 people will be, at some point in their life. If a drunk driver has injured you or a loved one, or taken the life of someone you love, contact The Florida Law Group. We know that the grief and multiple resulting burdens from an accident can be devastating, and we want to help you get the justice you deserve and the financial restitution you need to heal. Our compassionate, expert team will handle your case, advocating for you every step of the way and seeking maximum compensation! Our law firm has been nationally recognized for our ability to get verdicts for our clients. We proudly offer all services on a contingency fee basis, meaning that you do not pay us unless we win a settlement!

Stay safe, and Happy New Year from the Florida Law Group!