According to statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 2,597 people were killed in United States traffic accidents in December 2010. Of those, 775 deaths involved alcohol-impaired drivers. A 2006 study by the NHTSA estimated that there is one drunk driving fatality in the United States every 30 minutes.
Georgia's Driving Under the Influence Laws are complex. Clayton County DUI injury attorney Shane Smith can sort through the intermingled laws that potentially create complications in a DUI case.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration released a study about the proclivity of truck drivers driving while impaired. Among the study's findings:
- Approximately 1 percent of truck drivers involved in truck accidents resulting in injuries or death were legally drunk (their Blood Alcohol Concentration was 0.08 percent or above).
- Approximately 2 percent of truck drivers involved in truck accidents resulting in injuries or death were impaired with illegal drugs.
- Approximately 36 percent of truck drivers surveyed admitted to using at least one prescription or over-the-counter drugs that could impact their driving ability.
Georgia drunk driving accident victims face a life-altering sentence following the accident, one potentially filled with pain, fear, nightmares, and other challenges. The DUI driver faces legal penalties as a result of the decision to drive while impaired: financial penalties, jail, and other punishments. However, these penalties can be satisfied and the DUI driver can move on with his life. Not so for the DUI victim.
DUI victims may have flashbacks of the accident. Pain resulting from the accident may be a constant reminder. They may have to endure costly surgeries, medical treatment, long-term rehabilitation and therapy, and medication or prescription costs. This continuing reminder of the pain and expense is not a choice for the victim; this is the price the victim pays for another's recklessness. A DUI accident victim frequently is unable to return to work again and another family member may need to care for the victim. The victim's lost income and the altered or lost income from the caregiver should be the responsibility of the DUI offender.
If you have questions about Georgia DUI laws, get the answers in Clayton County DUI injury attorney Shane Smith's book, I Was Hit By a Drunk Driver: What Do I Do Next? Contact Shane Smith Law to schedule a free legal consultation.