Articles Posted in Drunk Driving in Massachusetts

The Fourth of July Holiday is one of the most dangerous days to be on the road. Most people have a day off from work to celebrate our nation’s independence and a lot of people spend that day celebrating with friends at bars, barbeques and parties.

Unfortunately, when out celebrating in the heat and sun, it is far too easy to grab a few too many beers or drinks in order to keep cool. This can lead to disaster when driving home.

Intoxicated driving always increases on the Fourth of July, which is why police and local law enforcement nationwide step up their efforts on Independence Day. There are generally DUI checkpoints and more officers out on patrol to catch drunk drivers on major drinking days, and the Fourth of July celebration will be no exception.

Our Boston drunk driving injury lawyers know that those who choose to drink and drive over the Fourth of July holiday don’t just put themselves at risk. Every year, accidents happen because of drunk drivers and innocent victims experience property damage, personal injury or even death. Avoiding these terrible outcomes requires a commitment by all drivers to celebrate in a smart and safe way on the Fourth of July.

Drunk Driving Endangers Everyone
A person with a BAC above the legal limit of .08 has more than double the risk of becoming involved in a car accident, and the higher the BAC the more impaired the driver is and the greater the danger.

The amount that you can drink before you have had too much varies depending upon your weight; how much you were drinking, your gender and what you were drinking. However, a 150 pound female who has six beers over six hours would likely be close to or over the legal limit and a man who weighed the same would be able to consume around seven beers or less over six hours in order to approach the .08 level.

At a Fourth of July barbecue with friends, it would be far too easy to consume this much alcohol or more, perhaps without even realizing how much you are drinking or noticing that you are starting to get tipsy. Getting in the car after having “just a few beers,” could cause you to get arrested or worse- could cause an accident that ends your own life or that injures or kills your passengers or another person on the road.

No amount of celebrating is worth taking on that risk. Instead, it is advisable to have a plan of action before you go out drinking for Independence Day. If you know that you are going to be consuming alcohol to celebrate, you should have a designated driver with you and/or the telephone number of a local taxi cab company programmed into your phone.

If you see your friends start to get into the car after having had too much to drink, stop them and get help. And, if you are going to be driving, limit your consumption of alcohol to far less than you think you reasonably can drink just so you can be sure that you don’t end up causing an accident that you can never take back.
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Police encounter drunk drivers all the time in the course of their careers, but one Massachusetts state trooper had an experience with an intoxicated driver that was very personal: a drunk driver killed his daughter.

Now, CBS Boston reports that the trooper hopes his daughter’s legacy will prevent other drunk driving accidents from occurring.

The trooper’s daughter was five weeks into her first year of college when she was killed by a drunk driver. Her father is telling his daughter’s story to high school students as part of their Mock Drunk Driving Crash. Tragically, his daughter was killed when she got into the car with someone who had been drinking. The driver had said he was sober.

Our Boston drunk driving accident lawyers know that many intoxicated drivers don’t realize just how impaired they really are. Unfortunately, these drivers can be exceptionally dangerous because they don’t realize that they are putting their own lives and the lives of others in jeopardy.

Drunk Driving Dangers When Drivers are Dishonest
According to CBS Boston, the Massachusetts state trooper’s daughter was at a party with her friends on the night of her death. She and her friends got a ride home from another student who was at the party with them. The driver claimed that he had not been drinking at the party.

The trooper’s daughter had no alcohol in her system at the time and she was sitting in the front seat. Unfortunately, the student who was driving her home started to drive recklessly as soon as he was behind the wheel and on the road. His car hit a tree, killing the trooper’s daughter in the front passenger seat.

The drunk driver fled the scene of the accident, but he was subsequently caught. He also tried to leave the hospital three times after the accident. When his blood-alcohol content was tested, it turned out he had three times the legal limit in his system. He was dangerously intoxicated at the time of the accident, which likely directly led to the risky driving behavior.

Unfortunately, this drunk driver was not the first intoxicated person to lie about being sober and he likely will not be the last one. In far too many cases, passengers pay the price for the lies of drunk drivers, losing their lives or suffering serious injury when they get into the car with someone who they believe to be sober.

When an accident like this occurs, the drunk driver is to blame for the incident. Passengers in cars should be able to trust their friends to be sober and not to lie and put their lives in jeopardy. These passengers who are lied to and misled are not at fault for the decisions they make. Still, they can end up losing their lives because they believe someone that they shouldn’t.

As a passenger, therefore, it is very important to remember that you are putting your hands in the life of the person who is driving you home. If you have not been with them and seen first hand that they haven’t had a drink, be absolutely sure that you can trust their word because your life depends on it. If you aren’t certain that the driver is sober or if you have any doubts at all, find an alternate ride home to be on the safe side. The decision could save your life.
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For many parents of teenagers, talking to your kids may seem hopeless and you may despair that any advice you give will go in one ear and out the other. The reality, however, is that what you say to your kids — and the fact that you take the time to say it — can have a major impact on whether your children put themselves in risky situations.

Our Boston drunk driving accident lawyers know that one of the biggest risks that kids can take is driving drunk. This behavior not only puts your teen in danger but it also puts any passengers, pedestrians and other motorists at risk as well. Preventing drunk driving and preventing teen drinking in general should be top priorities for every parent and a new study shows that parents may not be doing as much as they can to help stop substance abuse among teens.

Parents Can Make a Difference on Teen Substance Abuse

Recently, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA) conducted a comprehensive National Survey on Drug Use and Health. According to USA Today, this survey involved speaking to 67,500 Americans ages 12 and over nationwide.

The results of the study revealed some pretty surprising information about parents, teens and substance abuse. According to the study, for example:

• 22.3 percent of parents indicated that they believe things they say to their teens on substance abuse issues will have little influence on their teens behavior.
• 9.1 percent of parents said they have not spoken to their kids about the dangers of drug abuse or about the dangers of drugs, alcohol or tobacco.

This information is troubling because national studies have revealed that kids whose parents talk to them about drinking and substance abuse are far less likely to consume alcohol or drugs. Further, when kids believe that their parents would strongly disapprove of them using substances, the kids are less likely to try them than their peers. Finally, when kids believe that their parents are authoritarian or actively involved, these kids are less likely to get behind the wheel drunk.

With these survey results, it seems that many parents are missing the opportunity to have a heart-to-heart that could keep kids from making a devastating mistake.

Talk to Your Teens This Summer
Every parent wants to keep their kids safe, so parents should be heartened by the results of studies showing that kids really will listen when it comes to discussing substance abuse issues. Parents should take this information into account and should make the time to talk to kids about the dangers of drinking and driving.

Summer is an especially important time to talk to kids because they tend to have more free time over break and to have less supervision with parents at work. As a result, more kids are likely to use alcohol or illegal substances over summer and could be at greater risk of drunk driving accidents and other dangers associated with drinking and drugs.

So, before your kids get out of school this year, take a few minutes, sit down and have an honest conversation about drugs, alcohol and the risks of impaired driving. Your talk could make all the difference.
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Drinking just one drink too many can have devastating consequences when someone gets behind the wheel and drives drunk. Unfortunately, the more alcohol you consume and the more intoxicated you are, the more likely you are to make a bad decision about driving and the more impaired you will be if you do decide to operate a vehicle.

This is why a recent study showing that found more than half of all college women exceed their weekly drinking limits is cause for such concern. Our Boston drunk driving accident lawyers know that binge drinking can be deadly. Unfortunately, recent information indicates that frequent drinking and over-drinking are both common, especially among young college women.

Binge Drinking a Serious Problem Among College Students

In 1990, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism set maximum weekly guidelines for drinking, suggesting that men should drink no more than four drinks each day and fourteen drinks each week. Women, who have a lower threshold for drinking alcohol before experiencing problems, were advised to limit their drinks to three drinks each day and to seven drinks total over the course of the week.

Unfortunately, college students tend to greatly exceed these guidelines. As USA Today reported, two-year study conducted by a Harvard Medical School professor and published in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, revealed that women are much more likely to exceed their weekly alcohol consumption guidelines than men.

The study followed 992 college freshman and observed their drinking habits. Researchers found that, of the students who consumed at least one drink over the course of their freshman year, 60 percent of the men and 64 percent of the women exceeded the weekly guidelines at least one time.

This study follows on the heels of an earlier CDC study released this year that warned about increasing amounts of binge drinking among women and girls. The CDC described binge drinking among women and girls as an “under-recognized problem,” and as an alarming trend.

Staying Safe From Drinking Accidents and Injuries

College students who drink too much can face many risks. Drunk driving accidents are one potential consequence of binge drinking or consuming too much alcohol, but kids can also be at risk of other injuries including alcohol poisoning, falling when intoxicated, or sexual assault. Sexual assault is especially a problem among women, many of whom this recent study shows are drinking more than they should.

College are doing everything possible to cut down on drinking on campus, including monitoring tailgating parties; hiring additional security and adding more Friday classes to reduce Thursday night drinking.

Yet, as long as students continue to drink, they will be potentially at risk. College students should make a commitment to drink in reasonable amounts, to avoid binge drinking and- even if they do have a few drinks too many- to never ever drive intoxicated.
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With the recent NTSB proposal to change the drunk driving limit from .08 to .05, many people are getting caught up in political arguments. These arguments are between advocates in favor of the recommendation and opponents who argue that a lower limit is an infringement on personal rights and freedoms. With the questions raging about whether lower BAC laws are a good option or not, it is important not to forget the very real costs of drunk driving.

Recently, a reporter wrote a powerful article that serves as a reminder about what is really important when it comes to drunk driving laws: protecting accident victims. The reporter herself was a victim of a drunk driving accident and she has told the story of how the accident changed her life. Our Boston drunk driving accident attorneys know that there are countless more stories of lives shattered by drunk drivers. It is stories like these that should urge every single driver to avoid driving if there is any chance that he is too impaired to be safe behind the wheel.

Accident Victim Shares Personal Drunk Driving Story

According to her article in the New York Daily News, Beth Stebner was hit head on in 2004 by an intoxicated driver. The driver was in her lane in the middle of a thunderstorm with no headlights on and slammed her jeep iinto Stebner’s small Dodge Neon.

Stebner describes hearing the crash and the screams of her friends who were in the car with her, and she indicates that it is a memory that will stay with her for the rest of her life. She was seriously hurt in the car accident and had to be rushed into emergency surgery. A hole was drilled the entire length of her femur and a titanium rod was inserted into her hip. A metal pin was then surgically implanted through her right knee in order to keep the rod in place as her bones recovered from the injuries sustained in the impact.

In addition to the broken femur that necessitated her emergency surgery, Stebner also suffered cuts and scrapes and a bad concussion. While she was able to recover from her injury, she missed her high school graduation and she still has the scars to remind her of the terrifying drunk driving accident.

Unfortunately, the driver who hit Stebner had been at a local Mexican restaurant with her mother prior to the accident and had consumed so many margaritas that she lost count. The driver who hit Stebner was just 20 years old and the offense was already her second DUI offense.

Victims Support Tougher Drunk Driving Laws

Stebner indicates that she was forever changed by her accident and that she has to think about it every day because of her scars. She believes that more people can be spared the pain and the fear that she endured by having the blood alcohol content limit lowered to .05. She is not the only victim of a drunk driving accident who supports tougher laws to prevent accidents that should never happen and that can have devastating consequences.

So, while the debate rages about whether to lower the BAC limits or not, it is important to keep the victims in mind and to think about the real human cost of drunk driving crashes.
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As school ends, prom and graduation celebrations occur and kids have time off to relax.

Unfortunately, it’s also a time when teens are most at risk. The period between Memorial Day and Labor Day has been called the “100 Deadliest Days” for teen drivers. This period of time coincides with holidays and other celebrations and the number of teen fatalities in car accidents are higher during these days than at any other time over the course of the year.

Our Boston drunk driving accident lawyers know that there are a lot of reasons why there are so many fatalities during the 100 Deadliest Days of Summer. One of the top reasons, however, is drunk driving. When teens take the chance and drive while they are intoxicated, they put themselves and others at very serious risk of being injured or killed in an auto accident.

The 100 Deadliest Days of Summer

According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving, teens are more likely to be on the road during the summer months than at any other time. The 100 Deadliest Days of Summer correspond perfectly with the summer vacations for most high schools and colleges and kids have a lot of free time during these days. In many cases, this free time is unsupervised since parents work and kids are left alone during the day.

Unfortunately, teens often spend their free time getting into trouble, and part of that trouble includes drinking and driving. Teens are much more likely to drink and drive during events like prom and graduation than they are at other times of the year, but these aren’t the only risky days for young drivers. In fact, the seven most dangerous days on the road for teen drivers during the summer include:

• May 20
• May 23
• June 10
• July 4
• July 9
• August 8 and
• August 14

Mothers Against Drunk Driving reports that teen car accident deaths are most likely to occur on these days, which have helped to earn the Memorial Day-to-Labor Day period the designation as the 100 Deadliest Days.

In general, however, significantly more teens die during the May to August period than at any other time of the year. In fact, while an average of 346 teen car accident deaths occur during the non-summer months, the number of fatal accidents involving teens goes up to 399 deaths on average during May, June, July and August. This is a significant increase, especially since even one teen car accident death is a terrible tragedy.

Helping Kids to Stay Safe

Parents don’t have to just accept this higher risk of teen car accident deaths, despite the fact that the summer is undeniably more dangerous. If you are a parent, you should talk to your teen and set rules and guidelines to help keep your son or daughter safe during this deadly driving time. Some options to help reduce the risk of teen car accident deaths that MADD recommends include:

• Limiting the number of passengers in the car with your teen.
• Eliminating trips in the car that have no purpose.
• Having a parent/teen driving agreement outlining acceptable behavior in writing.
• Restricting driving at night time.
• Enrolling teens in summer driving school.
• Making sure your son or daughter knows you are available to provide a ride, no questions asked, at any time.

If parents follow these tips, they can help to ensure that their kids have the best chance of staying safe and making it through the 100 Deadliest Driving Days unscathed.
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If the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has its way, the legal BAC limit in the U.S. will no longer by .08 percent. According to NBC NEWS, officials are trying to drop the legal threshold to .05 percent.

What officials are trying to do is to get states to lower that BAC. They say that a .05 BAC still is at a level in which a driver’s vision can be affected and the risks for an accident can be drastically increased. With a lower legal BAC, officials say that drivers will be less likely to get behind the wheel because there is more of a chance of them exceeding that limit. Others argue that this new lowering is going to do nothing to stop the hardcore drunk drivers — the ones who seemingly have no regard for the law.

Our Boston drunk driving injury lawyers understand that no driver should consume any amount of alcohol and get behind the wheel. With each and every sip, your risks for an accident skyrocket. And it’s these kinds of accidents that take the lives of close to 10,000 people every year, also injuring more than 150,000 motorists. These are all completely avoidable, too. Yes, that’s a huge improvement from the 20,000 or so that were killed in these kinds of accidents 30 years ago, but it’s still a huge problem.

According to recent studies, about 4 million people say that they’ve driven under the influence of alcohol. And those are only the ones who openly admitted to it in a survey. Some say that the true number is much higher.

The recommendation for lowering the BAC level isn’t sitting well with everyone — especially those with restaurant trade groups. They’re arguing that drivers’ behavior would criminalize what they believe is perfectly responsible behavior, almost taking our rights away to have a few brews after work and drive home.

“Further restricting the moderate consumption of alcohol by responsible adults prior to driving does nothing to stop hardcore drunk drivers from getting behind the wheel,” said American Beverage Institute’s managing director, Sarah Longwell.

The U.S. is only one among a small number of countries that has kept the BAC level at .08 percent. Most countries are already operating under a .05 percent maximum law.

When Australia decided to make the move and drop the level from .08 to .05, officials reported a near 20 percent drop in the number of traffic fatalities.

But will it help here in the U.S. and more importantly here in Massachusetts?

According to the latest statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there were close to 150 people killed in alcohol-related traffic accidents in 2011. These kinds of accidents accounted for roughly 40 percent of all traffic accidents fatalities throughout the year.

Officials with the NTSB hope that a lower legal BAC limit would help to deter intoxicated people from getting behind the wheel.
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Drivers in Stoughton were not on their best behavior over the weekend. If you take a look at the Stoughton Patch and check out some of the police reports, you’ll see that officers in the area did quite a job in busting drunk drivers.

On April 28th, a driver was involved in a two-car accident and busted for operating under the influence and following too close and another driver was busted for the same thing after a routine traffic stop. Later on the 1st, a drunk driver was reported by another driver just before 6:00 a.m. On the 2nd, a suspicious vehicle was reported at the McDonald’s on Washington Street. That driver was also busted for operating under the influence. It doesn’t stop there. On the 4th, a driver was charged with operating under the influence after a routine traffic stop just after 1:00 a.m.

Our Stoughton drunk driving accident lawyers understand that, in 2011, there were close to 10,000 fatalities throughout the nation as a result of accidents involving a drunk driver. These fatalities accounted for more than 30 percent of total traffic fatalities for the year. According to newly-released statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there were close to 150 people killed in alcohol-related car accidents in the state of Massachusetts in 2011. These fatalities accounted for close to 40 percent of all of the traffic fatalities recorded throughout the year.

In Massachusetts, OUI―Operating Under the Influence of Alcohol―is a serious criminal offense. You can expect to have your license suspended, pay a major fine and even spend time in jail for your first offense. It gets much worse for subsequent offenses.

Not only should you remain sober behind the wheel to avoid this legal headache, but you should also do it to save lives. The truth of the matter is that your risks for an accident skyrocket when you consume alcohol. Never should there be a time when you should get behind the wheel after consuming alcohol. You have so many other safe, and legal, ways to get home. It’s just not worth it.

According to officials with the State of Massachusetts, don’t drive if you have been drinking at all. Your ability to operate a motor vehicle can be compromised even if your blood alcohol content is below the legal limit.

Keep an eye on your friends and family members. Never allow them to get behind the wheel after consuming alcohol. Take their keys from them and help them to find a safe and sober ride home. It’s a move that could wind up saving their life.

Lastly, make sure you have a safe and sober ride home. You have plenty of options. Designate a sober driver, call a cab, take public transportation or call a friend or family member. Whatever you do — don’t get behind the wheel.
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Prom night is a right of passage enjoyed by teens throughout the United States. Unfortunately, prom night is also a time when bad things can happen. The same holds true through the upcoming graduation season. One primary risk kids face comes from drunk driving.

As our Boston drunk driving accident lawyers know, there are zero tolerance laws in place designed to stop young people from having a drink and getting behind the wheel. These laws, unfortunately, don’t always work the way they should and kids tend to drink anyway. This is especially true around certain special occasions such as prom and graduation.

The Dangers of Alcohol on Prom Night
Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) has attempted to address head-on the dangers that kids face as a result of the temptation to drink and drive around prom night. MADD has tackled this issue as part of its Prom-oting Safe Behavior Campaign.

On its Promoting Safe Behavior website, MADD urges teens to understand that drinking alcohol is not a prerequisite to good memories. In fact, drinking is not necessary to have a good time at all and can result in tragic consequences.

When a person drinks, MADD points out, good judgment disappears as the alcohol makes its impact on the body. An intoxicated person is more likely to make bad decisions such as getting into fights or having unprotected and/or unplanned sexual encounters. An intoxicated person is also more likely to drive drunk himself or to get into the car with someone who is driving drunk. The impaired judgment caused by the alcohol will then make an accident far more likely to occur.

These consequences of intoxication will only get worse the more someone drinks. A person who drinks a lot can start to black out and may not be in control of his or her actions at all. It is entirely possible that a person who has blacked out will remember nothing of what occurred the next day once the alcohol is out of his system. Still, those who are blacked out can continue to walk, talk, and even drive, all while they have no control at all over their bodies because of the alcohol.

Teens who have had large amounts to drink and who have blacked out present the greatest menace behind the wheel. However, any drunk teen puts himself and others in danger.

Preventing Drunken Accidents
Prom night and graduation are never worth losing a life over. Parents should talk to their kids about the dangers of drunk driving and should work out some basic ground rules that must be followed so that everyone can stay safe. While drinking should never be encouraged, the plan could, for example, involve a rented limo so that if someone does drink, it won’t be tempting for that person to drive home.

Planning alcohol-free activities is also a good idea for parents who wish to minimize the chances of a drunk driving crash. These types of activities allow kids to have fun without the risks associated with driving drunk.
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Alcohol can be very dangerous when overused or when in the wrong hands. Unfortunately, many of the individuals who are at the greatest risk of being harmed are those who are not even legally allowed to drink. These individuals are teenagers.

Our Boston drunk driving accident lawyers know that teens are often not mature enough to make wise choices about whether to drink or about how much to drink. Teens often think that drinking is fun, cool or something that everyone does. They may not know just how many risks they take on if they make the choice to get drunk.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is working to change this and part of its efforts to do this involve naming April “Alcohol Awareness” Month.

Alcohol Awareness Month Information

Mothers Against Drunk Driving highlights the need for alcohol awareness month on its website by listing some of the undesired consequences of teen drinking. According to MADD, teens who drink alcohol are more likely to:

• Die in car wrecks.
• Become pregnant.
• Fail in school.
• Become a victim of sexual assault or rape.
• Become an alcohol as an adult.
• Commit suicide.

None of these outcomes are desirable for any teen, but all are very real consequences of a young person making the choice to consume alcohol. Most people are aware of some of these consequences, especially of the risks of drunk driving because this is such a deadly practice. However, few teens and few parents are aware that all of these potential outcomes are more likely when a young person drinks.

Further, as MADD points out, many parents are unaware that 68 percent of underage drinking deaths happen off the roads and are caused by other incidents besides traffic crashes. Taking away the keys, in other words, doesn’t remove all the risks associated with teen drinking.

Parents need to take a broader and more comprehensive approach to helping kids understand just how dangerous drinking can be.

How Parents Can Help Protect their Kids
Although MADD has bad news about the risks that young drinkers face, there is also some good news. The good news is that parents can make a huge difference in whether their child drinks or not. A full 74 percent of teens- almost three-quarters- indicate that their parents are the number one influence on whether they will consume alcohol.

MADD advises parents to open up a dialogue with their teenagers as a good first step towards discussing the real-world consequences of alcohol consumption. April’s Alcohol Awareness Month is the prime time to have such a discussion, and MADD has made available a booklet called the Power of Parents booklet, which is designed to help parents better communicate with their kids on the dangers of intoxicated driving.

MADD also has a Power of You(th) booklet that is designed to help teens who want to take a stand against underaged drinking to access research information and materials.

Hopefully, parents and teens will be inspired over this month to learn more about the dangers of underaged drinking. If teens learn about the risks they face and if parents enforce rules and boundaries, then teens will be less at risk of suffering injury or harm. Not only that, but keeping teen drunk drivers off the road can help to keep everyone safe including innocent victims who could be killed if a drunk teen got behind the wheel.
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