Semi Truck Accident Attorney

What more can be done to prevent fatal accidents caused by drivers who have been drinking alcohol?

Posted by on Oct 10, 2011 in Auto and Semi Accident | Comments Off

Attorney Eric Hageman wrote this post. He is a member of the American Association for Justice (AAJ) Interstate Trucking Litigation Group. He represents accident victims and their families nationwide. His offices are in Minneapolis, MN.

In the recent Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR),  the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that alcohol-impaired driving accounts for nearly 11,000 fatalities per year, or about one third of all crash fatalities in the United States.

The CDC estimates that in 2010, there were approximately 112 million alcohol-impaired driving incidents and “binge drinking” played a big role in those incidents:

  • 85% of alcohol-impaired driving episodes were reported by persons who also reported binge drinking; and
  • The 4.5% of the adult population who reported binge drinking at least four times per month accounted for 55% of all alcohol-impaired driving episodes.

One strategy states have used to prevent  DWI and the resulting fatal accidents is dram shop liability laws, which hold alcohol retailers (both on premises and off premises) legally responsible for harms caused by serving alcohol to visibly intoxicated patrons.  The dram shop laws are an important part of accident prevention, and we have used them to hold bars and other alcohol retailers accountable for their actions. But the CDC statistics are alarming, and more needs to be done to prevent fatal accidents.

The CDC recommends that all states take measures (e.g., sobriety checkpoints) to enforce DWI/DUI laws and that they consider requiring ignition interlocks (in essence, a breathalyzer installed on the dashboard) on the vehicles of all persons convicted of alcohol-impaired driving.  I strongly support these efforts.  Representing people injured by drunk drivers, I have seen over and over again how repeat DWI/DUI offenders can cause serious injury and death.  Requiring ignition interlock devices for DWI/DUI offenders would go a long way to keeping drunk drivers off the roads.

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