In a recent report published by the Century Council, it is reported that since drunk driving statistics started being recorded in 1982, drunk driving fatalities have declined 71%. What this means is that the many campaigns that have targeted those average people who may succumb to the temptation of having one too many drinks and then driving home are hitting home. Unfortunately, this statistic is little deceiving because the main cause of drunk driving fatalities are people who are considered hardcore drunk drivers, meaning people who are driving with a Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of at least 0.15, remains largely unchanged.
According to the report, this dangerous segment of the population has yet to be reached by the anti-drunk driving campaigns. Accident fatalities involving hardcore drunk drivers accounted for 68% of drunk driving fatalities in 2008. In addition, those same drivers were considered nine times more likely to have a prior DUI or DWI than non-drinking drivers.
So does this mean that we as a society are really making progress when it comes to drunk to driving? If you turn on the news this week, it probably does not feel like it. Within the last five days two high school students were killed by a drunk driver with the third being suffering serious injuries, and days later 6 more people were injured by a drunk driver. Even though there have been this recent string of drunk driving accidents progress is being made, but that does not mean that we are anywhere near our goal putting an end to drunk driving.
There are still steps that need to be taken to stop or at least make hard core drunk drivers think twice about driving after having too many drinks.
The drunk driving accident attorneys at Davis Law Group would like to once again send of deepest condolences to all of the families of the victims of this last week's tragic accidents. You all are in our thoughts and prayers.
