If you or a loved one become involved in a drunk driving accident, you could face numerous hardships as you try to recover. Every day, accidents caused by intoxicated drivers leave victims with devastating injuries, medical bills, shattered careers and mental trauma. In some instances, they even claim lives.
It is very important to review statistics on drunk driving accidents in order to understand how widespread these collisions are. Sadly, many drivers continue to get behind the wheel while impaired as a result of alcohol use or drugs.
Data on drunk driving in the U.S.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that law enforcement officials took over one million drivers into custody for operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs in 2016. However, far more people drive drunk even though they are never apprehended for their actions.
Sadly, drunk driving crashes claimed the lives of more than 10,400 people over the course of 2016, making up 28% of all traffic accident fatalities. More than 200 of those who lost their lives were age 14 or younger.
Many drunk drivers show a pattern of reckless behavior
According to the CDC, drivers in deadly traffic accidents who have a BAC level of 0.08 or greater are 4.5 times more likely to have previous drunk driving convictions than drivers who do not test positive for alcohol. Clearly, this shows that many drunk drivers have a problem and repeatedly take to the road while intoxicated.
It is essential for the victims of drunk driving accidents to hold negligent drivers accountable.
