Personal Injury Lawyer Blog
August 1, 2008 was a very hectic and chaotic time for early morning commuters on Interstate 5, in San Diego, California. Four people were in a car, when they suddenly lost control of the car and crashed. CHP officers found alcohol in the drivers system, and the 3 passengers in the car were immediately submitted into UCSD Medical Center with very critical injuries. this crash only involved one vehicle, but managed to shut down the transition ramp from eastbound Interstate 8 to southbound 5 for an hour and a half. No further information has been disclosed to the public.
According to www.MAAD.org:
In 2006, an estimated 15,827 people died in alcohol-related traffic crashes—an average of one every 33 minutes. These deaths constitute 37 percent of the 42,532 total traffic fatalities. Of these, 13,470 involved a driver with an illegal BAC (.08 or greater). On average someone is killed by a drunk driver every 39 minutes.
About three in every ten Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash at some time in their lives.
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In 2002, surveys estimates that Americans took over 159 million alcohol-impaired driving trips, compared with only 116 million in 1997.
Over 1.46 million drivers were arrested in 2006 for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics. This is an arrest rate of 1 for every 139 licensed drivers in the United States.
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In 2002, 2.3% of Americans 18 and older surveyed reported alcohol-impaired driving, including 3% of 18-20 year olds and 4.1% of 21-34 year olds.
Of the over 159 million alcohol-impaired driving trips estimated that Americans took in 2002, over ten percent (18 million trips) were made by 18-20 year olds.
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Since 1980 (the year Mothers Against Drunk Driving was founded), alcohol-related traffic fatalities have decreased by about 44 percent, from over 30,000 to under 17,000 and MADD has helped save over 300,000 lives.
Alcohol-related crashes in the United States cost the public an estimated $114.3 billion in 2000, including $51.1 billion in monetary costs and an estimated $63.2 billion in quality of life losses. People other than the drinking driver paid $71.6 billion of the alcohol-related crash bill, which is 63 percent of the total cost of these crashes.
If you or a loved has been injured or killed from a car accident and it wasn’t your fault, you have a claim for personal injury or wrongful death. It is very important that you find an experienced attorney to fight for your rights as a victim. So many times people incur huge bills after an accident like this.
Moseley Collins is a Sacramento personal injury attorney, specializing in major injury cases, including people injured or killed by car accidents.