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.
A 26-year veteran teacher failed in her bid to reclaim her job after her contract was not renewed following a DUI charge. The school superintendent recommended the teacher's contract not be renewed and a meeting with the school board could not change the decision.
The teacher was originally arrested for driving 28 mph over the legal speed limit. Before she could be pulled over by police, she hit a car that was stopped at a red light and barely avoided another car as she was pulling into a nearby parking lot. Blood tests showed the woman's blood alcohol content was 0.31 percent, with the legal limit in Georgia set at 0.08. She was given 12 months of probation and ordered to complete an alcohol treatment program. She may decide to appeal the school board's decision.
According to the police report the teacher was observed traveling 63 mph in a 35 mph zone. The arresting officer observed the teacher as she hit a truck stopped at a red light and nearly hit another vehicle as she turned onto the highway. Blood tests showed the woman's blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was 0.31 percent, nearly four times Georgia's legal limit. She was given 12 months of probation and ordered to complete an alcohol treatment program. In her courtroom testimony the teacher admitted she was an alcoholic and had entered a treatment program.
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.