About Drunk Driving and Auto Accidents

Too many car accidents are caused by drivers under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Despite an increase in laws against drunk driving in recent years and ardent prosecution of drunk-driving accidents and offenders, a great many people are still driving drunk. 

Alcohol impairs your coordination and dulls your reflexes. Most people who are involved in drunk-driving accidents do not feel that they are impaired at all. They will argue that they are fine to drive and will get behind the wheel of the car, often taking other people with them. 

Despite fervent education on this matter, each year over 15,000 teenagers die in drunk-driving related accidents. Many of them are passengers in a car that is driven by a drunk driver. In many cases, more than one fatality occurs. Schools educate teenagers about the dangers of driving drunk, but often the teens will not want to admit that they are drunk or fear reprisal from parents if they ask for a ride home. When drinking and inexperience is combined, it often results in a drunk-driving accident. 

Someone who is involved in DUI accidents will get a DUI citation. This is a serious offense and can result in jail time. In drunk-driving lawsuits, awards can be punitive as well as for damages incurred. A DUI can land someone in jail if there is a serious injury or fatality that results from the crash. Drunk-driving accidents can not only kill, but they can destroy the lives of those who make the decision to drive drunk. 

Anyone who is involved in a drunk-driving accident needs to find a DUI defense attorney to help them in their criminal case. This can mean the difference between jail time and supervision. Most people who get a DUI are looking at high legal fees as well as fines, at the very least, for this conduct. Although the message is getting louder when it comes to drinking and driving, there are still over 250,000 DUI tickets issued each year in the United States and drunk driving is one of the leading accident causes in the country. 

Anyone who has suffered a personal injury due to a car accident caused by a drunk driver or the family of anyone killed by a driver under the influence of alcohol or drugs should contact a personal injury attorney with experience in DUI civil lawsuits. A skilled lawyer can help you file a personal injury lawsuit or a wrongful death lawsuit against the responsible parties. Although winning a lawsuit will never bring back a loved one or erase the pain associated with the accident, it will hold the responsible parties accountable and will hopefully deter others from driving under the influence.