“Drinking and driving”- Most people are aware of the deaths caused by reckless behavior like driving while under the influence of alcohol. The warnings against this type of conduct are everywhere we look. Drunk driving is a risk not only to the driver,but also the public at large.
A Glance at the Statistics-
In the year 2015, approximately 10,265 people died in alcohol-related crashes that account for one-third of the entire traffic related deaths in the US.
In 2015, 16% of the drunk driving crashes involved children between 0-14 years.In the same year, around 1.1 million drivers got arrested for drunk driving. All of the foregoing statistics are higher during the nighttime. Around 1% of the 111 million episodes are self-reported by U.S citizens every year.
Of course, alcohol is not the only culprit. Drugs and other intoxicating substances also caused fatalities. Drugs, both legal and illegal, are involved in 16% of automobile accidents.
There were around 9, 878 crashes where the driver exhibits with .08 or higher Blood Alcohol Content (“BAC”), which accounts for 31% of the total traffic accidents.
Which country leads the way in driving crashes?
As per the Global status report of WHO related to Road Safety (2015),South Africa stands out as one of the deadliest countries in the world with road accidents involving 25.1 deaths per 100, 000 citizens each year. It is very shocking that around 58% (6 out of 10 accidents) on the roads of South Africa results from alcohol influence.
Good news
Surveys show that traffic crashes have decreases in recent years. But, according to the Center for Disease Control(“CDC”),alcohol-related incidents take the lives of approximately 10,000 people every year in the U.S.(1 out of 3 are motor accident deaths).
Reckless Folks
Despite the stiff penalties, warnings, educational programs, public awareness advertisements, there are still many people who decide to get behind the wheel while intoxicated. In the U.S., the motor vehicles accidents are the primary cause of death for the people under 24 years, irrespective of whether they are passengers or drivers. Half of these wrecks involve alcohol.
How Likely Are Those Drinking and Driving to Crash?
An automobile driver with 0.10 or higher BAC is seven times more likely to be associated with a catastrophic vehicle crash than a driver who are do not have that BAC level. A driver under the influence of 0.15 or more BAC is 25 times more likely to crash.
The Legal Consequences(DUI/DWI)
A person who is suspected of drinking and driving may need to undergo a field sobriety test.= If the results of the test are poor, the officer should make you undergo an analysis of BAC. In several states, the legal limit is .10%. Some states,like Texas, only tolerate a maximum BAC level of under .08%before they are considered to be breaking the law. If the officer pursues a charge of either Driving Under the Influence or Driving While Intoxicated, depending on the state, you may face consequences such as:
Losing your driver’s license for a certain period of time
Getting Probation
Attending an Alcohol Abuse Program
If anyone is killed during an accident involving drinking and driver,the charges may be as severe as vehicular manslaughter.
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