We Can Decrease Drunk Driving Accidents. Here’s How.

 Posted on December 00,0000 in Drunk Driving Accidents

Every year in the U.S. there are approximately 111 million instances in which adults drive after drinking over the legal limit. About 10,265 people die in drunk driving accidents across the country annually. Every two minutes, a person is injured in an alcohol-related traffic accident.

While the statistics do not resemble the number of alcohol-related traffic accidents during the drunk driving epidemic of the 1970s and 1980s, the rate of drunk driving is still a concern among many, and researchers and policymakers are seeking ways to address the issue.

What Can Be Done?

Whether it be a change in policies or the leverage of social media campaigns, there is much that can be done to combat driving under the influence:

• DUI laws. Since the 1970s, the national drunk driving rate has decreased by 57 percent. Many in the science, policy, and government sectors attribute the rollout of DUI penalties and an increase in the drinking age to the reduction. Whether strict driving-under-the-influence laws are correlated with low drunk driving rates is up for debate. For example, South Dakota has the most lenient DUI penalties in the U.S. and has the highest drunk driving rate among all states. However, Arizona also has some of the toughest DUI laws in the U.S., but in 2013, the state had the 17th highest DUI fatality rate in the U.S. In Illinois, more adults commit alcohol-impaired driving than the U.S. average—regardless of the state’s relatively strict DUI laws.

• Taxes on alcohol. Research suggests that taxes on alcoholic beverages may be correlated with a decrease in the number of drunk driving accidents. The University of Florida in Gainesville analyzed the effects of a tax increase on alcoholic beverages in Illinois. The researchers found that when the tax was implemented, the rate of drunk driving fatalities fell by 26 percent.

• Emergence of ride-sharing services. The rise of ride-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft has been linked to a decrease in drunk driving incidents. High costs and lack of accessibility associated with taxi cabs often prompt individuals to drive while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Ride-sharing services are less costly and more flexible in where they take passengers—encouraging many individuals to use them in lieu of regular taxis.

Contact the Lake County Personal Injury Lawyers

Drunk driving can cause injury, property damage, and even death. If you or a loved one were affected by a alcohol-related traffic accident, contact our Lake County drunk driving accident attorneys. You may be entitled to compensation.

Sources:

https://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/pdf/impaired_driving/drunk_driving_in_il.pdf

https://wallethub.com/edu/dui-penalties-by-state/13549/