Earlier this year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released data showing that the number of total fatal traffic accidents in the United States had reached an all-time low in 2011, a promising sign of progress in the world of highway safety. This month, however, troubling data released by the NHTSA indicates that there is still much work to be done when it comes to drunk driving.
According to data released by the NHTSA in early August, nearly one-third (10,228 total) of the estimated 32,788 traffic deaths in 2010 were caused by an alcohol-impaired driver. To make matters worse, the NHTSA says 70 percent of those deaths were caused by a driver whose blood alcohol level was at least twice the legal limit.
“This is a very unfortunate revelation from the NHTSA, especially for an attorney who advocates for the victims of impaired driving collisions,” says Seattle drunk driving accident attorney Chris Davis. “The reality is, many of these drivers are extremely impaired on the roadways and are therefore risking the lives of many innocent people.”
Some states throughout the country have already begun working on the problem.
According to a recent Washington Post article, there are 17 total states in the U.S. – including Washington State – that require first-time DUI offenders to equip their cars with ignition interlock devices. Virginia is the latest state to enact such provisions, which many experts say are the toughest drunken driving laws in the nation.
“I am very proud of my home state of Washington for requiring ignition interlocks for all convicted DUI offenders,” said Davis, who has represented drunk driving accident victims for nearly 30 years. “However, the data from the NHTSA shows that there is still a great deal of work to be done in order to deter drunks from getting behind the wheel.”
As a public service to victims of drunk driving collisions in Washington, Davis is offering the “Washington State Drunk Driving Collision Victim Handbook” for free to accident victims throughout the state. Anyone interested in ordering their free copy can find the book, along with the rest of the Washington Accident Books series, at http://www.WashingtonAccidentBooks.com.
About Chris Davis
Christopher M. Davis, founder of the Davis Law Group, has been a licensed personal injury lawyer in the state of Washington since 1993. He has tried dozens of personal injury cases to verdict and has successfully handled and resolved hundreds of accident claims. He has been a Washington Super Lawyer' for seven years in a row for his expertise and success in litigating personal injury claims.