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. Georgia DUI injury attorney Shane Smith can sort through the intermingled laws that potentially create complications in a DUI case.
Georgia has a zero tolerance law for underage drinking and driving. Though the illegal blood alcohol content (BAC) for drivers over 21 years old is 0.08 percent, drivers under 21 can be charged with DUI with a BAC of 0.02 percent. Teen drivers can be charged with DUI in a minor accident if a chemical test indicates that they have a small amount of alcohol in their system.
Police recently arrested 18-year-old James P. Barrow, the son of U.S. Rep. John Barrow, for underage drinking and DUI after he caused a disturbance in his mother's veterinary clinic.
Police were called to the business in the early afternoon after the intoxicated teen caused a disturbance. Upon returning to the teen's apartment officers discovered empty beer cans.
It was the teen's second arrest in a week and third in three months on alcohol-related offenses. He had been arrested three months prior and charged with underage DUI. Earlier the same week he had been charged with underage possession of alcohol.
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.