Drinking and Driving: Why Not A Good Combination

It’s all fun when you are drinking alcohol with friends, but laughter ends when accident strikes. In 2009, of all vehicle-related fatal accidents, 32 percent involved alcohol-impaired drivers, a reality you can’t make fun with.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) report, in 2008, California placed second on the list of most fatal vehicle accidents related to alcohol-impaired driving. There were 3,434 fatalities recorded due to alcohol-related car accidents in California alone.

Likelihood of car crash if under the influence of alcohol

• A person with 160-pound weight drinking two bottles of beer in an hour is likely to have 0.04 blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is 1.4 times more likely to be in a vehicle accident
• Drinker with .08 BAC may result to 11 times more likelihood to get in a car accident than non-drinking drivers
• Driver with a BAC of 0.10 is 48 times more likely to get involved in a fatal vehicle accident compared to those who has not in the influence of alcohol
• Driver with 0.15 BAC is 380 times more likely to be in a car accident

Alarming numbers:

• Three in every 10 Americans are likely to be involved in an alcohol-related car accident at some point of their lives
• On average, a person dies every 48 minutes due to alcohol-impaired driving
• In 2009, 14 percent of total number of alcohol-inflicted car crashes was teenagers and children below 14 years old
• In 2009, 181 children were killed due to drunk drivers

Even if you don’t drink and drive, some drivers care less if they drive drunk, and in this case, accidents become unavoidable. Fortunately, under the tort law, victims of car crashes due to alcohol-impairment can file suit against the involved driver. Claims may include:

Economic damages

• Medical expenses
• Wages lost
• Damage to properties

Non-economic damages

• Physical pain and suffering
• Loss of companionship
• Emotional and mental suffering

If drinking alcohol cannot be avoided, be sure to ask someone to be a designated driver of the vehicle. Be smart, don’t drive under the influence of alcohol, and spare yourself and others from possible devastating accidents.