Boston Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer Blog
A driver from Natick who thought he was doing the right thing was actually turning himself in. According to ABC40, the 21-year-old driver walked right into a police station during the early-morning hours to report that he had crashed his vehicle. At that time, officers smelled alcohol on him and decided to perform field sobriety tests, which the driver failed. He was ruled to be over the legal limit to drive.
At that moment, officers arrested the man and charged him with driving to endanger and driving under the influence of liquor. He was later releases and pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Our drunk driving accident lawyers in Natick understand that intoxicated individuals don’t always make the best of decisions. Difficulty walking, blurred vision, slurred speech, slowed reaction times, impaired memory — clearly, alcohol affects the brain. Drivers use their hands, eyes, and feet to control the car; but their hands, eyes, and feet must be controlled by their brains. Safe driving requires alertness and the ability to make quick decisions in rapidly changing situations. Drinking alcohol can have a profound effect on driving skills.
There are roughly 13,000 people who are killed each year in alcohol-related accidents. Hundreds of thousands more are injured. These kinds of crashes cost American taxpayers over $100 billion. Over 1.4 million arrests for drunk driving each year (less than 1% of 159 million self-reported episodes of alcohol-impaired driving) and 780,000 are convicted. Roughly 70 percent of those sentenced to incarceration are repeat offenders.
Legally intoxicated means having a blood alcohol level of 0.08 percent, or not having normal use of mental and physical faculties by reason of the introduction of alcohol, a controlled substance, a drug, or combination of two or more of these substances into the body.
Compared with drivers who have not consumed alcohol, the risk of a single-vehicle fatal crash for drivers with BAC’s between 0.02 and 0.04 percent is estimated to be 1.4 times higher; for those with BAC’s between 0.05 and 0.09 percent, 11.1 times higher; for drivers with BAC’s between 0.10 and 0.14 percent, 48 times higher; and for those with BAC’s at or above 0.15 percent, the risk is estimated to be 380 times higher.
Overall, alcohol decreases a person’s ability to drive a motor vehicle safely. The more you drink, the greater the effect. The amount of alcohol required to become impaired differs according to how fast you drink, your weight, your gender, and how much food you have in your stomach.
It’s just not worth it. Aside from running the risks of a potentially fatal accident, drunk driving is a major problem that law enforcement is striving to prevent and control. If a person is caught driving drunk, it can result in jail, which results in a criminal record.
If a pattern of drunk driving is established, the driver can lose his or her license and employment, and it could affect their personal relationships as well.
Call Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers for a free and confidential appointment — (617) 777-7777.
More Blog Entries:
Easton Man Arrested on 8th Drunk Driving Charge, Boston Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer Blog, January 21, 2014
Weekend DUI Down, Drunk Driving Fatalities Up, Boston Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer Blog, January 15, 2014