Drunk driving is a serious problem in the United States. Many drivers continue to operate their vehicles after they have consumed alcohol. Consuming even one glass of wine before driving can affect the driver’s alertness, making that driver susceptible to irrational decisions on the road. Consuming more alcohol can make the driver much more susceptible to driving errors. Those drivers who drive with a blood alcohol concentration level of 0.15 percent or above are known as hardcore drunk drivers, and they pose a serious threat to other people’s safety.
New statistics show that 70 percent of drivers involved in deadly auto accidents are hardcore drunk drivers. Most of those drivers had previous DUI convictions that subjected them to a series of sanctions, including education and treatment. The data also show that drivers with a 0.15 percent BAC level or above are more likely to be involved in crashes compared with non-drinking drivers.
When a drunk driver strikes another vehicle or multiple vehicles, the results are often catastrophic. Oftentimes, drunk drivers operate their vehicles at a high speed. A vehicle traveling at a high speed can severely damage other vehicles and injure the people inside. If a person is the victim of a drunk driving accident that results in injuries and fatalities, that person may be entitled to compensation. If the accident led to injuries, the injured victim may be compensated through a personal injury claim. In a fatal drunk driving accident, the surviving family members may wish to file a wrongful death claim against the responsible party.
Source: Responsibility.org, “Hardcore drunk drivers (national statistics),” accessed on Dec. 16, 2014
