Drunk Driving Statistics and Resources

After drinking, you may notice that your vision is blurred or that you’re unable to control your eye movement. Impaired vision can affect how you judge the distance between your car and other vehicles on the road. Additionally, fewer objects may be visible within your peripheral vision, or what you can see to either side of you when looking straight ahead. With driving, there are many things that require your undivided concentration such as staying in your lane, your speed, other cars on the road and traffic signals.

• Every state has a zero tolerance law which prohibits under 21-year olds from driving with any detectable amount of alcohol in their blood stream.
• In 31 States, police can only give citations for failure to wear safety belts if a vehicle is stopped for another moving violation (i.e., secondary enforcement).
• Most child passengers (61 percent) who were involved in an alcohol-impaired driving crash from 2001 to 2010 were unrestrained at the time of the collision (Quinlan et al., 2014).
• We have drunk driving lawyers in San Antonio who are available 24/7 to assist you.

A study in Western Australia19 found that more alcohol-impaired drivers originated from drinking establishments selling more beer, including high alcohol content beer, and distilled spirits (Gruenewald et al., 1999). Beverage availability in on- and off-premises drinking establishments is an important consideration for alcohol pricing and taxation, which is discussed in Chapter 3. In another study that examined BRFSS data from 2003 and 2004, drinking drivers who drank most of their alcohol in licensed establishments consumed an average of 8.1 alcoholic beverages on one occasion, and about one-fourth of this group consumed 10 or more drinks (Naimi et al., 2009). Cumulatively, these findings suggest that the risk of driving subsequent to binge drinking is substantial on a per-binge-drinking episode basis across the population. Alcohol-impaired drivers are more likely to drive at higher speeds and to be involved in motor vehicle crashes at excessive speeds, as impairment diminishes sensory motor function and increases (i.e., delays) reaction time. Evidence suggests that driving while impaired (DWI) enforcement, such as sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols, in combination with enforcement of speeding laws is effective at decreasing alcohol-related driving crashes and resulting injuries and fatalities (Sanem et al., 2015).

Definition: What Is a DUI?

Minors under the legal drinking age may be declared under the influence at a lower BAC percentage. Similarly, law enforcement may arrest a motorist for being impaired even when their BAC is lower than 0.08%. Drinking and driving can have far-reaching, devastating effects for you, your family, and anybody who happens to be near you on the road. The best way to avoid this fate is to know as much as you can about the consequences of drinking and driving, as well as how you can keep yourself out of situations where you might violate the law. Even if you weren’t in a car accident, you may be facing some consequences for drunk driving.

• This requires an individual to quickly obtain an SR-22 form (SR22) from their auto insurance company, agent or broker and file this “Proof of Financial Responsibility” form with the DMV or DPS.
• The vast majority of survey respondents who were arrested for a 2nd DUI were convicted of DUI or a lesser charge.
• An individual who is operating a motor vehicle under the influence of other drugs, including over-the-counter drugs, prescription drugs, and even illicit drugs, can be charged with this offense.
• The lives lost and the ripple effects of each accident should serve as a sobering reminder of the impact of our actions.

Also, a felony conviction looks bad on your record and will often affect your employment and education opportunities. DUI offenders will often have to complete a term of probation after serving a minimum number of days in jail. (Also, in some cases, the judge will order probation without https://ecosoberhouse.com/ requiring any jail time.) During probation, the offender generally must obey all laws and may have to complete other requirements such as a substance abuse treatment program. DUIs refer to citations issued by law enforcement to those drinking and driving over the legal limit.

How Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) Levels Affect Driving

Drunk driving is a significant contributor to numerous accidents and fatalities every year, with almost one-third of all fatal accidents involving an intoxicated driver. In today’s fast-paced world, it is critical to remember the importance of safety and avoid drunk driving. Driving while intoxicated is a severe crime that has severe consequences for all involved parties, including the driver, passengers, and other drivers on the road. It is imperative to comprehend the effects of drunk driving and how to avoid it. The impact of drunk driving extends well beyond individual tragedies, casting a long shadow over society as a whole. Recent data reveals a staggering reality — drunk driving deaths per year cost the United States an overwhelming $201.1 billion in damages.

Understanding the true impact of drunk driving requires delving into how alcohol impairs driving abilities and escalates the risks involved. While it might be easy to underestimate the effects of alcohol, a closer look reveals how heavy the impact can be. Beyond the realm of legality lies the realm of the physical — the tangible toll that drunk driving accidents take on the human body. Survivors of these accidents often bear the burden of life-altering injuries. Broken bones, spinal cord injuries, and traumatic brain injuries can irrevocably alter the trajectory of one’s life. The path to recovery can be a struggle, marked by surgeries, therapies, and endless rehabilitation sessions.

What is Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD)?

In many states, the driver must complete a period of suspension (called the “hard suspension”) before obtaining a restricted license. The overwhelming majority of survey respondents arrested for a third or fourth DUI were convicted of DUI or a lesser charge. Specifically, 33% ended up with a felony DUI conviction, 56% were convicted of misdemeanor DUI, and 6% pleaded guilty (or “no contest”) to a lesser charge. The vast majority of survey respondents who were arrested for a 2nd DUI were convicted of DUI or a lesser charge. Specifically, 71% were convicted of misdemeanor DUI, 12% ended up with a felony DUI conviction, and 6% pleaded guilty (or “no contest”) to a lesser charge.

A general downward trend in traffic fatalities has taken place over the past decade; however, a slight increase occurred in 2012, and in 2016 there were 37,461 fatalities, the highest since 2008 (NCSA, 2017a), as well as an estimated 2.44 million injuries in 2015 (NCSA, 2016b). The alcohol industry also promotes its products through sponsorships of sports events, music festivals, and other public events, many of which are likely to be more appealing to younger audiences (Babor et al., 2018). Alcohol industry promotion can be found in major U.S. professional sports leagues (all of which have at least one alcohol industry sponsor), particularly at professional motorsport racing events such as those held by NASCAR (Babor et al., 2018). In addition to encouraging greater alcohol consumption among younger audiences, the alcohol industry’s marketing promotions and sponsorships may also target women and other high-risk and/or vulnerable populations (Babor et al., 2018).

Physical Health Effects of Alcohol

Of course passengers in the car may be affected by being injured in accidents, but they may be affected emotionally by the trauma of accidents as well. Other drivers, passengers, and pedestrians may consequences of drinking and driving be injured and emotionally traumatized in accidents as well. They can lead to penalties such as fines, mandatory alcohol education programs, license suspension, probation, and even jail time.

Unlike many other behaviors that pose serious risks to health and safety (e.g., smoking and violence), alcohol consumption has a more complex relationship with SES (Jones et al., 2015). People with higher incomes and levels of education are more likely to drink alcohol and to drive while impaired when compared to lower income and less educated populations. Thus, a paradox exists between patterns of behavior and attributable harm when examining these through the lens of SES. Further research is needed to more critically assess the relationship among SES, alcohol consumption, and alcohol-attributable harms (Jones et al., 2015). There is strong evidence for the correlation between increased availability of alcohol and increased consumption and, as a result, increased alcohol-related problems (Ames and Grube, 1999; Babor, 2010b).