According to statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), DUI accident fatalities increased from 9,865 in 2011 to 10,322 in 2013. The NHTSA reported that the majority of DUI accidents with fatalities involved drivers whose blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was 0.15 percent or higher, or almost twice the legal limit. 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.
A 37-year-old Georgia high school principal was arrested twice within a few hours on charges of drunken driving.
The driver is accused of leaving the scene of an accident shortly before 10 p.m. He was charged with DUI, weaving over the roadway, reckless driving and operating auto in unsafe conditions.
A sheriff in another county responded to an accident with a car resting on the driver's side wedged between two trees. The front passenger's side tire was missing and the rim was ground down, as if the car had been driven without a tire for some time. Debris from the car covered several lawns.
The driver admitted to consuming alcohol just before driving. The vehicle matched witness descriptions of two hit-and-run accidents that occurred earlier in the evening. A breath test revealed the driver's BAC to be 0.193 percent, over twice the legal limit.
As a result of the incidents the driver resigned as principal of the high school.
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.