Almost 30 people lose their lives in car accidents caused by drunk drivers every single day in the United States. There would be one new arrival every 50 minutes at that rate. To put this in perspective, in 2010 (the most recent year for which data is available), the costs associated with DUI-related injuries and fatalities totalled $44 billion.
Newer data from 2018 shows that drunk driving was directly responsible for roughly 11,000 deaths in 2018, or about 30% of all traffic fatalities. Among the dead were 231 kids younger than 14 who tragically lost their lives.
One of the greatest threats to the safety of all drivers, even the most cautious ones, is drunk driving. Maybe if we know what to expect if we drink and drive, we can reduce our chances of getting into an accident. Discuss your situation with a certified truck accident lawyer in OC.
Definition of Intoxicated Driving Recklessness
Drunk driving is against the law in all 50 states, plus DC and Puerto Rico. When is it illegal to operate a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol? Driving with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08 or higher. The implication is as follows:
Once alcohol is consumed, it is absorbed by the stomach and intestinal lining. As a result, a predetermined quantity is injected into your circulatory system. The concentration of alcohol in the blood rises until the liver processes it. Blood alcohol concentration (or BAC) quantifies the amount of alcohol in a given volume of blood.
Having 0.08 grammes of alcohol per deciliter of blood is therefore equivalent to having a Blood Alcohol Concentration of 0.08. Sobriety-related investigations frequently involve the use of breathalysers to measure an individual’s BAC because of how easily this may be done. Why 0.08? Driving with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of.08 or above is associated with an increased risk of injury, according to scientific studies.
Repercussions
The shameful nature of drinking and driving should be deterrent enough to keep anyone from taking that risk. If it isn’t, the law should be extremely harsh on those who break it nevertheless. In the 1980s, this type of tight enforcement first appeared, and it has only increased in intensity since then.
Some of the penalties for driving while intoxicated are losing one’s driving privileges, paying hefty fines, and possibly facing jail time. Over $10,000 in fines and court costs is not out of the question, even for a first-time offender.