Sobering Statistics on Drunk and Alcohol-Impaired Driving
- Every day, close to 30 people die in motor vehicle accidents that involve an alcohol-impaired driver. 31% of all fatal traffic accidents in the U.S. involved alcohol-related automobile accidents.
- Every 90 seconds, someone is killed or seriously injured in an alcohol-related crash.
- Annually, alcohol-related crashes cost the US more than $51 billion dollars.
- In Maine, fatal automobile accidents that involved at least one alcohol-impaired driver account for 39% of all traffic-related deaths.
How Alcohol Affects Your Driving Ability:
Acts like an anesthetic on areas of your brain needed to safely operate a vehicle.
May cause double or blurred vision. Slows reaction time.
Hinders reflexes and coordination. Causes drowsiness and poor judgment.
Clearly, drunk and alcohol-impaired driving is a danger Maine drivers face each time they buckle up. Shockingly, close to one-third of drunk drivers involved in alcohol-related accidents, arrests and deaths are repeat offenders.
Even when law enforcement takes away their licenses or arrests them, repeat offenders often make the unconscionable choice to drink and drive repeatedly. Consider Paul Caret as a cautionary tale of the dangers of repeat drunk driving. This Oakland, Maine driver was pulled over by police for OUI, taken to the police station, booked and then driven home by a police officer. Police say that Caret then returned to his vehicle, which was two miles
]away at a friend’s house. Still impaired, he drove his car and ultimately crashed into rocks and a tree. Tragically, he suffered fatal injuries and died, apparently because he made the choice to drive drunk repeatedly. Fortunately, it appears that no other drivers were injured because of Caret’s poor choices, but that is often not the case.
Oakland Man Stopped Earlier for OUI Dies in Crash
Two-thirds of drunk driving related car accidents are caused by drivers who have never been arrested. Added up, this means Maine drivers share the road with alcohol-impaired drivers far more often than they’d like to believe.
This is why sobriety checkpoints, ignition interlocks (Sober to Start Ignition Interlocks) for repeat offenders and further research into ways to prevent drunk driving are essential.
Our Maine personal injury attorneys have seen the aftermath of far too many tragic automobile accidents involving alcohol-impaired drivers and the life-altering injuries they leave behind. Oftentimes, survivors of alcohol-related automobile accidents suffer horrific, long-term after-effects that they will have to manage financially for the rest of their lives. Brain Injury, broken bones, permanent disability, and emotional suffering are just a few of the painful, lifelong consequences of being involved in an accident with an alcohol-impaired driver.
If you have been involved in an automobile accident with an alcohol-impaired/drunk driver, please allow our experienced personal injury attorneys to assist you and your family. Drunk drivers are a danger to society. Our experienced Maine personal injury attorneys are committed to helping you and your family get the justice you deserve if you’ve been a victim of a drunk driver.