Holidays are known for celebrations and, often, celebrations involve serving alcoholic beverages. Unfortunately, many revelers decide to leave a party at a restaurant or a friend's house and drive themselves home. However, driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol is extremely dangerous and often leads to serious drunk driving accidents.
According to statistics reported by advocacy group Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), 290, 000 individuals in the United States sustained injuries and an additional 10, 076 people died in drunk driving accidents in 2013 alone. Drunk driving—and the number of resulting accidents—tends to increase substantially on or around the fall and winter holidays such as Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year's.
Law Enforcement Cannot Stop All Drunk Drivers
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) acknowledges that the holidays are an especially dangerous time to be on the roads due to impaired drivers. Therefore, the NHTSA has a campaign for increased law enforcement efforts for DUI called “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.” Although this campaign may save some potential accident victims from injury due to the arrest of drunk drivers, law enforcement cannot save everyone from the dangers of drunk driving.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that adults across the U.S. admit to an average of 112 million episodes of DUI on an annual basis and these are only the ones who admitted to doing so. In contrast, only an estimated 1.4 million drivers were placed under arrest for DUI during a single year, which means that only about 1 percent of drunk drivers end up behind bars. The other 99 percent are still out on the roads—law enforcement far from eliminates the total risk of drunk driving accidents.
Holding a Drunk Driver Liable for Your Injuries
The good news for accident victims is that, while you cannot take your injuries away, you do have the right to seek substantial compensation from a drunk driver who causes your accident. You may be able to obtain compensation for the following:
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Economic damages for financial losses including past and future lost income and past and future medical expenses;
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Noneconomic damages for intangible losses such as loss of enjoyment of life, disability or disfigurement, emotional distress, or physical pain and suffering; and
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Punitive damages intended to punish the drunk driver for his or her behavior. Although punitive damages can be rare in personal injury cases, they are often available in drunk driving accident claims because of the egregious nature of the driver's behavior.
Contact an Experienced Appleton Drunk Driving Accident Attorney Today
At [[title]], our highly skilled Appleton personal injury lawyers and Green Bay personal injury lawyers are committed to helping accident victims hold drunk drivers responsible for their actions. We have offices in Appleton, Green Bay, Oshkosh, and Appleton, so please call 920-739-7366 today to schedule your free consultation.
Sources:
http://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/impaired_driving/impaired-drv_factsheet.html