Arkansas Injury Lawyer Blog
Drunk drivers cause approximately one-third of all traffic fatalities in the United States.
If you are behind the wheel and you have been drinking, you are more dangerous than a man with a gun shooting into a crowd of people. The man with the gun has made his presence of danger known and people can attempt to take cover. If you’re driving down the road while intoxicated, the innocent people driving around you have no idea you’re drunk behind the wheel and coming right at them.
Here are some facts about alcohol:
– Alcohol remains in your system for up to six hours.
– Alcohol is responsible for an estimated 75% of fatal car crashes occurring between 12 a.m. and 3 a.m.
– A driver is considered to be legally intoxicated in Arkansas when his or her blood alcohol content (BAC) level is at or above .08 grams per deciliter.
– To reach a BAC level of .08, a man weighing approximately 170 pounds would need to consume four standard drinks in one hour on an empty stomach. A woman weighing about 140 pounds would need to consume three drinks in one hour.
– In 2007, alcohol-impaired driving caused the deaths of nearly 13,000 Americans.
– On average, someone in the U.S. is killed by a drunk driver every 40 minutes.
– An estimated 3 in every 10 Americans at some point in their lives will be involved in an alcohol-related collision.
– A BAC level as low as .02 can affect a person’s response time and makes driving more dangerous. The probability of having a wreck increases significantly with a BAC level of .05, and even more rapidly after with a BAC level of .08.
– A driver with a BAC of .08 is 11 times more likely to be in a fatal accident than a driver who has consumed no alcohol.
– In 2007, more than half of drivers driving while intoxicated and involved in fatal crashes had a BAC level of .15, nearly twice the legal limit.
– Drivers are far more likely to be driving while intoxicated or under the influence during the night than during the day. A study done in 2007 showed that 36% of drivers involved in nighttime fatal crashes were legally drunk versus just 9% during daytime collisions.
– Motorcycle drivers are at higher risk of being involved in a fatal drunk driving accident, with 27% of such accidents in 2007 involving at least one drunk motorcycle operator.
– A crash involving alcohol is more than twice as likely to occur on a weekend day than a week day. Approximately 31% of drivers involved in fatal car crashes on the weekend are legally drunk, as opposed to just 15% during the week.
– According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA), beer is the most common type of alcoholic beverage involved in both DUI arrests and fatal crashes.
– Males are almost twice as likely as females to drink and drive and to be involved in a fatal car crash.
– According to a recent study, a first-time offender of driving while intoxicated has already driven while under the influence more than 80 times before being arrested.
– DUI means driving under the influence of some type drug. DWI means simply driving while intoxicated, and in many states, refers to the use of alcohol.
– A recent study has shown that using a cell phone while driving can be just as dangerous as driving while drunk, causing drivers to run traffic lights and a decreased reaction time to driving conditions.
My wife’s aunt was killed by a drunk driver in Little Rock, Arkansas. She was on her way home from work one evening when a drunk driver crossed the center line and hit her head on. Her precious life was cut short because of someone else’s decision to take a drink and get behind the wheel. Her family’s lives are changed forever.
If you or a family member has been involved in an accident caused by a drunk driver, please contact a Little Rock Arkansas accident lawyer today to discuss your legal rights.