Women are being arrested for drunk driving in Massachusetts more and more nowadays. According to a recent release from the Traffic Injury Research Foundation, the number of drunk driving arrests among women has skyrocketed in recent years. A near 40 percent increase over the last ten years to be exact. The study also concluded that the average female drunk driver is better educated and older than her male counterparts. These individuals have also been found to be the primary caregivers to children and to have lower-paying jobs, according to The Washington Post.
This news wasn’t a shock to The Century Council, which launch the study after a 2009 accident where a New York mother drove her van on the wrong side of the road and caused an accident that killed her daughter, three nieces, three additional motorists and herself. Officials determined that she was both high and drunk at the wheel.
Our Massachusetts drunk driving car accident attorneys understand that the recent study illustrates mothering and drinking may be a bigger problem than the country realizes. According to The Century Council, drunk driving has been a problem that was predominantly associated with men in the country. Female drunk driver numbers were less common. Recent findings conclude that drunk driving convictions among women have become a top concern for officials since the late 1980s.
Just thirty years ago, women accounted for less than ten percent of the nation’s drunk driving convictions. From 1997 to 2007, the number of female drunk drivers who were busted by law enforcement increased by nearly 30 percent.
The recent study aimed to examine this evidence and to determine the magnitude of the problem, the characteristics of these drivers, their involvement in fatal alcohol-related accidents and different measures that are being used to stop this population of drunk drivers.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), adults drank and drove more than 110 million times in 2010. Men between the ages of 21- and 34-years-old accounted for less than a third of all drunk driving episodes. Nearly 90 percent of the drunk driving episodes involved binge drinking — 5 or more drinks for men or 4 or more drinks for women in a short time frame.
“Nearly 11,000 people are killed every year in crashes that involve an alcohol-impaired driver,” says CDC Director Thomas R. Frieden, M.D., M.P.H.
The Century Council says that the average age of a first drunk driving offense for a female is 31-years-old. A good portion of female drunk drivers are separated, divorced, single or are more likely to be living with a partner with an alcohol problem.
In many cases, female drunk driving offenders are likely to be the primary caretaker of children at the time of arrest, they’re likely to have experienced abuse and are more likely to have physical and mental health needs
As this problem grows, it’s important to keep an eye on the females in our lives. Parenting and modern-day problems take a toll on all of us. Let’s not allow these problems get out of hand. An occasional cocktail is alright, especially when enjoying it with friends a family members during the holidays, just don’t get behind the wheel of a motor vehicle after consuming alcohol. The consequences can be serious!
The Massachusetts Drunk Driving Lawyers at Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers represent clients facing DUI charges throughout the state. Call for a free and confidential consultation to discuss your rights. (617) 777-7777.
Additional Resources:
Drunken-driving arrests for women up 36 percent, by Janice D’Arcy, The Washington Post
More Blog Entries:
Death Notification Can Result in Trauma for Survivors of Drunk-Driving Accidents in Massachusetts, Nationwide, Boston Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer Blog, November 25, 2011
Melanie’s Law Significantly Reducing Repeat Drunk-Driving Accidents in Massachusetts , Boston Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer Blog, November 7, 2011