NHTSA Shows 30% Driving Fatalities Are Due to Drunk Driving

(Newswire.net — March 1, 2016) Philadelphia, PA — A January 13, 2016 accident allegedly caused by a drunk driver whose car struck a Philadelphia police car underscores the findings of a recent National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) study showing 3 out of 10 driving fatalities are due to alcohol impairment. While the Philadelphia police officers were not killed when their car was hit by the DUI suspect running a red light, drunk drivers caused almost 10,000 fatalities in 2014, the most recent year for which data is available. This is 31 percent of fatalities, and is the single biggest reason for loss of life. Pennsylvania’s statistics mirror the national trend, with 29 percent of fatalities in the state—345 of the 1,195 Pennsylvanians killed in motor vehicle accidents—attributable to alcohol-impaired driving. Protecting the rights of the families of car crash victims and securing stable financial futures for those families is the job of experienced, knowledgeable attorneys. 

Late Wednesday, January 13, 2016, two Philadelphia police officers were hit by an allegedly drunk driver in Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood. Fortunately the two officers were not killed when the driver ran a red light, struck the police cruiser, and fled on foot. Other officers made the arrest of the alcohol-impaired driver who, in addition to resisting arrest, was driving with an expired license. The injured officers were in stable condition at last report. The crash highlights the pervasive effects alcohol-impaired driving has on our nation’s drivers and their passengers. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) November, 2015 study found that found 31 percent of driving fatalities were linked to alcohol impairment.

NHTSA’s Findings

The NHTSA has tracked motor vehicle accidents for decades. The good news in November’s study was that both fatalities and injuries continue to decline. The bad news is that of the 32,675 people killed in motor vehicle accidents in 2014 (the most recent year for which the NHTSA could collect reliable data), 9,967 deaths were attributable to “alcohol-impaired driving.” The NHTSA is careful to say that alcohol-impaired driving can mean a sober driver striking a drunk pedestrian, or having an accident due to a drunk passenger’s behavior. This staggering number of deaths from motor vehicle accidents due to alcohol impairment is the largest segment of causes of death, followed closely by speeding-related crashes:

• Distracted driving—10 percent (3,179 deaths)
• Drowsy drivers—846 people died in 2014 (2.6% of all fatalities)
• Speeding-related motor vehicle accidents—28 percent (9,262 people died)

Injuries that occur due a driver who is intoxicated are known as Dram Shop Actions. In many states, you must prove that the defendant driver was visibly intoxicated when the driver was continued to be served alcohol. Proof may include service of alcohol while the person shows swaying, falling, slurred speech or other evidence of having had too much alcohol. This can also apply when a patron is served too much and then gets into a fight. The law offices of Ginsburg & Associates have experienced, dedicated attorneys who are ready to handle cases involving motor vehicle accidents and Dram Shop Actions. 

Whether you faced serious injuries or a fatality, you have a right to recover pecuniary and nonpecuniary damages. Contact our firm today to get a free evaluation of your case.