RISKY DRIVING
There are numerous factors that contribute to auto accidents. Below are some facts related to various causes of drunk driving taken from https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving.
DRUNK DRIVING
The interactions between alcohol and other substances in the body such as certain medications or illegal drugs increase impairment and make driving more risky.
Alcohol is a substance that reduces the function of the brain, impairing thinking, reasoning and muscle coordination. All these abilities are essential to operating a vehicle safely.
As alcohol levels rise in a person’s system, the negative effects on the central nervous system increase, too. Alcohol is absorbed directly through the walls of the stomach and small intestine. Then it passes into the bloodstream where it accumulates until it is metabolized by the liver. Alcohol level is measured by the weight of the alcohol in a certain volume of blood. This is called Blood Alcohol Concentration, or BAC. At a BAC of .08 grams of alcohol per deciliter of blood (g/dL), crash risk increases exponentially. Because of this risk, it’s illegal in all 50 States, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico to drive with a BAC of .08 or higher. However, even a small amount of alcohol can affect driving ability. In 2016, there were 2,017 people killed in alcohol-related crashes where drivers had lower alcohol levels (BACs of .01 to .07 g/dL).
Approximately one-third of all traffic crash fatalities in the United States involve drunk drivers (with blood alcohol concentrations [BACs] of .08 of higher). In 2016, there were 10,497 people killed in these preventable crashes. In fact, on average over the 10-year period from 2006-2016, more than 10,000 people died every year in drunk-driving crashes.
In every State, it’s illegal to drive with a BAC of .08 or higher, yet one person was killed in a drunk-driving crash every 50 minutes in the United States in 2016.
Men are more likely than women to be driving drunk in fatal crashes. In 2016, 21 percent of males were drunk in these crashes, compared to 14 percent for females.
Motorcycle riders have the highest overall rate of alcohol impairment in fatal crashes. In 2016, 25 percent of the motorcycle riders killed were riding impaired.
In 2016, the highest percentages of fatally injured, alcohol-impaired motorcycle riders were in the 35-to-39 age group (38%), followed by the 45-to-49 age group (37%), and the 40-to-44 age group (32%).
Driving a vehicle while impaired is a dangerous crime. Tough enforcement of drunk-driving laws has been a major factor in reducing alcohol-impaired-driving deaths since the 1980s. Charges range from misdemeanors to felony offenses, and penalties for impaired driving can include driver’s license revocation, fines, and jail time. It’s also extremely expensive. A first-time offense can cost the driver upwards of $10,000 in fines and legal fees.
DRUG IMPAIRED
The 2013-2014 Roadside Survey of Alcohol and Drug Use by Drivers found an increase in the number of drivers testing positive for marijuana and other drugs that can impair driving skills compared to the 2007 survey findings. In the 2013-2014 survey, nearly one in four drivers tested positive for at least one drug that could potentially affect safe driving skills.
Other than alcohol, Marijuana is the drug that is most frequently detected in drivers’ systems after a vehicle crash, as well as the general driving population (Compton & Berning, 2017; Kelley-Baker et al., 2017; Lacey et al., 2009; Walsh et al., 2005). Studies show that marijuana impairs psychomotor skills, lane tracking, and cognitive functions.
DISTRACTED DRIVING
Distracted driving is dangerous, claiming 3,450 lives in 2016 alone. Distracted driving is any activity that diverts attention from driving, including talking or texting on your phone, eating and drinking, talking to people in your vehicle, fiddling with the stereo, entertainment or navigation system—anything that takes your attention away from the task of safe driving.
Texting is the most alarming distraction. Sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for 5 seconds. At 55 mph, that’s like driving the length of an entire football field with your eyes closed.
SPEEDING
Speeding endangers everyone on the road: In 2016, speeding killed 10,111 people, accounting for more than a quarter (27%) of all traffic fatalities that year.
Speed also affects your safety even when you are driving at the speed limit but too fast for road conditions, such as during bad weather, when a road is under repair, or in an area at night that isn’t well lit.
Speeding endangers not only the life of the speeder, but all of the people on the road around them, including law enforcement officers.
DROWSY DRIVING
Drowsy driving kills. It claimed 846 lives in 2014.
A study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety analyzed data from NHTSA’s National Automotive Sampling System (NASS) Crashworthiness Data System (CDS). By using a multiple imputation methodology they estimated 7 percent of all crashes and 16.5 percent of fatal crashes involved drowsy driving.
Drowsy driving crashes most frequently occur between midnight and 6 a.m., or in the late-afternoon – both times when there are dips in your circadian rhythm (the internal human body clock that regulates sleep).
SEATBELTS
Seatbelt use in passenger vehicles saved an estimated 14,668 lives.
The national use rate is at 90.1 percent – but nearly 27.5 million people still don’t buckle up.
Of the 37,461 people killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2016, 48 percent were not wearing seat belts. In 2016 alone, seat belts saved an estimated 14,668 lives and could have saved an additional 2,456 people if they had been wearing seat belts.
All accident representation is time-critical and you should contact our firm immediately when you are involved.