Anyone of legal age can consume alcohol. Drivers, on the other hand, understand that drinking and driving is not legal. Drunk drivers can make poor decisions while on the road, such as running a stop sign, driving too slow or too fast and other erratic, dangerous behaviors that can lead to motor vehicle accidents. In the United States, on average, 30 people die daily in drunk driving accidents or the equivalent of one fatality in every 48 minutes. This is a serious problem with alcohol-related accidents costing more than $51 billion every year.
In 2010, drunk driving accidents killed more than 10,000 people, which means that 31 percent of the total number of traffic fatalities were caused by alcohol-related accidents. In the same year, 211 children under the age of 15 died in drunk driving accidents or 17 percent of the total number of traffic-related deaths. More than half of the total number of children who died in drunk driving accidents in 2010 were occupants in the vehicle driven by the impaired drivers. Young people between 17-years-old and 21-years-old are at a greater risk of being involved in drunk driving accidents compared older drivers. These young drivers account for more than one third of alcohol-related accidents.
Drunk driving is a form of negligence. When a drunk driver causes a collision, that driver can be held responsible for a victim’s damages.
Here in Kane County, Illinois, readers can ask drunk driving legal professionals on how to obtain compensation after becoming a victim of a drunk driving accident. Often, legal professionals will suggest filing personal injury claims, which would allow victims to seek damages from the responsible parties.
Source: Center for Disease Control and Prevention, “Impaired driving: get the facts,” Accessed on Sept. 22, 2014
