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Do You Know How Common Driving Under the Influence Really Is?

ByLegal Newsletter

Harrisonburg law firms

Car accidents occur all of the time. On any given commute, you probably see some type of car accident whether it be on your side of the road, the opposite side of the road, down another road or if your maps application on your phone helps you avoid the accident by rerouting you. How many of these do you think are car accidents related to an individual driving under the influence of alcohol? How many of them result in the need for a DUI attorney, a criminal defense attorney or car accident lawyers? It?s probably more often than you think. We hear of plenty of car accidents involving DUIs from the news when they are horrific enough to warrant coverage. We don?t, however, often hear of the actual statistics or what is recommended for drivers to do when involved in a DUI car accident.

To answer one of the previous questions, drunk driving car crash fatalities take up the largest percentage of car crash fatalities reaching 32 percent. Someone is injured in a drunk driving crash around every two minutes. Car crash fatalities from speeding come in close second with 31 percent, followed by crashes due to distractions at 16 percent and weather causing 11 percent.

What is truly noteworthy is the number of times people drive drunk before they are arrested. On average, someone drives drunk 80 times before it results in an arrest. That means, for many people, driving drunk is a common practice rather than a one-time situation that resulted in an accident, arrest and need for a DUI attorney.

Luckily, the number of times people drive drunk every day isn?t the same as the number that are arrested or involved in accidents. On any given day, around 300,000 people drive drunk. Less than 4,000 of these result in the arrest, the need for involvement from law firms or the assistance of a DUI attorney, according to Mother?s Against Drunk Driving (MADD). All-in-all, the U.S. shells out around $199 billion a year for drunk driving costs (MADD).

The other aspect of drunk driving accidents that isn?t often discussed is what do if you?re involved in a DUI accident. If you?re pulled over prior to an accident under suspicion that you?re driving drunk, the protocol is different than if you?re involved in an actual car accident due to driving under the influence.

Whether there have been any injuries or not, you will want to call 911 to seek both medical and police involvement in a DUI accident. It is first priority to deal with any injuries to you, passengers in your car and the individuals in other cars involved in the accident.

The next step is to secure a DUI attorney immediately. You will be asked to provide statements and to cooperate with tests to determine your blood alcohol content so that the police can gather evidence for the crime. It will be better for you in the long run if you have a DUI attorney present to assist with the steps that need to be taken immediately after the accident. Do not wait until after you have provided statements and cooperated with all the tests before seeking a lawyer.

Before you get into your car, consider the high number of accidents that occur daily from drunk driving. You cannot control whether or not another individual drives drunk, but you can decide whether or not you will get into your car after having one too many drinks. Always seek other means of transportation if you are not sober. Let us know in the comments below about your experience with criminal attorneys or DUI attorneys.

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