Articles Posted in DUI Accidents & Dram Shop

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Enforcement of traffic laws, including those against drunk driving and speeding, need to be a major part of any auto accident prevention program by state and federal governments. These are the types of traffic law violations which lead to very serious car accidents resulting in catastrophic personal injuries and wrongful deaths.

The role that traffic enforcement can play in accident prevention tends to be a controversial topic.  However, a recent piece in The Atlantic calls for increasing traffic enforcement in order to help reduce the number of people involved in serious auto accidents.  The article refers to experiments in other states that have chosen to decrease traffic enforcement,  consequently leading to an increase in the number of car accidents and accident – related catastrophic personal injuries and wrongful deaths in these states.

Many car accident prevention programs these days focus heavily on the role of  road design in preventing car accidents.  However, there are many types of accidents that are not impacted or hindered by optimum road design.  For example, a large part of the spike in auto accident wrongful deaths in recent years is linked to the increase in the number of car accidents occurring at night.  Many of these auto accidents are speeding- related car accidents or drunk driving auto accidents that have very little to do with road design. These accidents are often connected to low levels of traffic enforcement.  Simply put,  if these speeding drivers and drunk motorists are fined for violations and taken off the streets, we are more likely to see a decline in car accident numbers.

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There has been plenty of evidence – driven  research into the effects of alcohol on a person’s auto accident risks, but not nearly as much effort has been put into investigating the impact of marijuana or cannabis on a person’s driving abilities. There is a significant likelihood that the use of marijuana may increase the risk of car accidents since it may slow reaction time.

Millions of Americans use marijuana.  According to some statistics, in 2023 more than 61 million Americans  admitted to using marijuana at least once in the past year. Those numbers have been rising  steadily over the years.  In 2013, only about 7% of adult Americans admitted to using marijuana.   By  2023, approximately 15% of all Americans admitted  to using marijuana. Many states have also legalized the use of marijuana,  and have found a   significant impact on their car accident rates since the legalization of the drug.  While Georgia does not have laws that allow the use of marijuana, the state does see thousands of car accidents every year caused by people who are driving under the influence of cannabis.

Researchers say that with the growing use of marijuana across the country, it is important to investigate the amount of the drug that a person can have in his system before it begins to affect his driving abilities. There is much that we know about the impact of alcohol on a person’s driving abilities and this is the reason why we have laws that make it illegal for persons to operate a motor vehicle when they have more than the allowed blood alcohol concentration.  In all 50 states, including Georgia, that limit is 08.  There has been no such intensive research into the amount of marijuana that can seriously affect a person’s driving abilities.

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The  month of December sees some of the highest numbers of drunk driving car accidents in the year, thanks to the Christmas and New Year holidays.  No  wonder then that December is marked as National Impaired Driving Prevention Month.

Data suggests that the number of drunk driving car accidents on our roads is actually  increasing  every year.  According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, based on data from 2021, alcohol -related car accident numbers   in December were the highest that they have been in 15 years.

All 50 states have laws in place that prohibit driving under the influence of alcohol.  In most states, the legally acceptable blood alcohol concentration limit is 0.08.  In fact, many  agencies including the National Transportation Safety Board have gone on record calling for a  further reduction in  the blood alcohol concentration limit to .05.  In  spite of these laws against drunk driving, however, far too many motorists feel comfortable driving after having consumed  alcohol, and those numbers increase in the month of December.

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Nationwide, the maximum legal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level is .08.    However, most motorists are not aware their auto accident risks begins to increase long before their BAC levels reach that figure.

While .08 is the maximum limit for blood alcohol concentration across the country, the fact is that many motorists, especially light or moderate drinkers, are likely to experience deterioration in their driving abilities that significantly increases their risks of being involved in an auto accident, even at .04 or even lower.  According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration,  alcohol can impact driving ability even  after one drink.  The average drink in the United States can result in a blood alcohol concentration of between .02 and .04  for a light to moderate drinker.  This  is sufficient to affect the person’s vision as well as his or her ability to multitask.  Imagine a person with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.02 trying to drive as well as respond to phone calls at the same time.  His or her ability to multitask  is markedly reduced, significantly impacting his or her safety and the risks of being involved in a car accident.

When blood alcohol concentration level rises to .05, there is a significant deterioration in driving abilities.  At this point, the person is not legally drunk, but his coordination skills are impaired, and he or she might find it difficult to steer effectively. Vision is further reduced during this stage of alcohol intoxication, and he may find it difficult to track moving objects which makes it very dangerous when he is on the road and needs to observe the behaviors of drivers around him.  His or her ability to respond to emergency driving situations is also significantly lower at this point. All of these factors increase his or her chances of being involved in a car accident causing serious injuries  or even a fatal car accident.

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All K -12 students in Georgia will now benefit from free access to traffic and road safety education thanks to a collaboration between the Georgia Department of Transportation and a leading education media organization.

Georgia has struggled with an increase in the number of car accident wrongful deaths across the state, with 1,800  people dying in auto accidents across the state in 2022.  There were more than 2,000 auto accidents recorded in the state that year involving drivers between the ages of 15 and 24.  Clearly, this is a high risk category of motorists and the Department of Transportation wants to ensure that drivers falling in this age category have access to all the resources that they need in order to drive safely and responsibly.

The new collaboration is called the Car and Road Safety Program, and is an initiative between the Georgia Department of Transportation and We Are Teachers which is a national educational advocacy program.  We Are Teachers conducted surveys across Georgia schools, working together with teachers in order to develop high quality materials that are specifically targeted to Georgia students.  The 5 year program will make available to students quality theoretical resources as well as the chance to take a virtual field trip anywhere in Georgia. There are also lots of interactive quizzes and plenty of activities to sharpen young motorists’ knowledge about traffic safety.

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A  safety group in France is advising male drivers to drive more like female drivers in order to reduce their risks of being involved in auto accidents.  This  has raised the age old question –  are female drivers truly safer than men?

According to the group, which advocates for victims of car accidents, female drivers in France are less likely to be involved in fatal car accidents compared to males. The group says that 84% of all fatal car accidents involve male drivers.  It also claims that 93% of all drunk driving-related car accidents involve males.

Here in the United States as well, there has been data to show that female drivers do tend to be involved in fewer fatal car accidents compared to males.    One of the reasons could be the fact that males simply drive more vehicular  miles contributing to higher accident risks.

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Alcohol- related car accident death numbers have increased significantly even as the number of arrests have dropped.

In 2022, according to figures released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, close to 13,500 people died in auto accidents caused by an impaired driver.  That  was almost the same as the numbers in 2021, but a was 33% higher than in   2019. The numbers in 2022 were the highest on record since 2006.

During  the same period of time, there  was  a significant drop in the number of arrests made for DUI around the country. In 2019, police made close to a million arrests for DUI around the US while that number dropped to just 788,000 arrests  in 2022.  During the pandemic,  police departments across the country suffered staffing shortages which made it harder for them to enforce DUI laws and  arrest violators.

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In 2022, an average of 5 people died in car accidents in Georgia every single day.  The state is now making strong efforts to help reduce those numbers and keep people safe on the roads. There is not one solution to the issue, which requires a multifaceted approach.

The Georgia Department of Public Health recently received funding of approximately $2.5 million specifically to be used in road safety initiatives.  The  grant by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will be used to fund initiatives like the distribution of child car safety seats to motorists in Georgia.  The  funds will also be used to study and research factors involved in car accidents, specifically speeding and other common factors. More than $200,000 has also been earmarked for education and awareness campaigns across Georgia, as well as risk assessments of senior drivers above the age of 55.  The child car seat distribution initiative has already kicked off, and hundreds of parents across Georgia have received their safety seats.

The metro Atlanta region is a specific area of concern for Georgia transportation safety authorities.  Out of the last nine car accident deaths recorded in the state, 5 occurred in the metro Atlanta region alone.  These wrongful deaths have included fatalities in car accidents caused by drunk drivers and fatal auto accidents involving pedestrians.  Law enforcement officers in Georgia say that the biggest causes of car accident fatalities in the state remains drunk driving, speeding, distracted driving and rash driving.  Road rage is on the increase, and that has meant a spike in aggressive driving.

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Driving under the influence of marijuana can be dangerous in any age category, but the drug may have a unique impact on the car accident risks of senior drivers.

According to the results of a new study, seniors who smoke marijuana and drive may have their auto accident risks impacted by their drug use. The results of the study were published in the January issue of JAMA Network Open. The study found that seniors who use marijuana may suffer from especially serious effects of the drug due to their declining cognitive skills. In  the study, the researchers found that seniors who were driving under the influence of marijuana began veering in and out of lanes about 30 minutes after using the drug. Irresponsible lane changes can increase your risk of being involved in a car accident.

Marijuana use can affect motor coordination and also affect decision – making abilities.  It can also affect reasoning and memory.  Declining cognitive function in seniors may already exacerbate the effects of the drug, and marijuana use, the researchers say, only compounds the effects of aging – related cognitive declines.  Additionally, seniors are very likely to be  on medications and these medications may also impact their cognitive function and aggravate the effects of marijuana use. For instance, common medications like those that are used to treat cardiovascular problems, hypertension, diabetes and other common problems that can affect seniors could result in side effects when combined with marijuana.

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The federal administration has kickstarted the rule-making process that would require drunk driving car accident prevention technology on all new cars.

This welcome announcement was made by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration which recently  announced that it has started work on the rule- making process that would require  impaired driving prevention systems on all new cars.  These  systems  that work to prevent drivers from operating a vehicle include technology that measures the amount of alcohol on a person’s breath and prevents him from operating the engine if it detects a certain amount of alcohol in his system.  This  technology is very similar to the ignition interlock systems that are currently used in several states, including Georgia, as penalties for repeat drunk driving offenders.  Other  technologies that will be reviewed  include camera systems that can monitor eye movements in order to identify if a driver is impaired or driving under the influence of alcohol.

At this point, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration initiative   would  allow  regulators to collect data about the various systems that are currently in place in automobiles and their impact in reducing the incidence of driving under the influence of alcohol.  If things reach their preferred conclusion, we could have drunk driving auto accident prevention sensors, cameras or other systems in all new cars as a standard feature.  There is no doubt that this could significantly help reduce the number of car accidents caused by impaired drivers.

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