Injuries and deaths caused by drunk driving are no “accidents,” they are 100 percent preventable says Dr. Mark Rosekind, administrator at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. It is no secret that the holiday season sees an uptick in DUI crashes and deaths across the country, which government regulators hoped to curtail. Recent estimates tally more than 10,260 deaths each year due to driving while intoxicated, and many of these fatalities occur on New Year’s Eve when everyone is out celebrating.
In an effort to curb the number of needless deaths and injuries, NHTSA regulators launched their annual “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign just before the holidays. Local law enforcement personnel were instructed to ramp up efforts to protect the public from impaired drivers, and made available a new video website called Last Call 360 that allows visitors to experience a virtual bar scene, interact with other patrons, and understand the devastating ramifications of drunk driving.
Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over Campaign
“We want everyone to be safe this holiday season, which is why we’re urging the public to make the right choice, follow the law and drive sober,” said Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx in a December press release. While public education is important, officials are also looking toward advanced technologies in the quest to halt preventable DUI crashes and deaths.
In fact, regulators have recently dedicated more than $5 million to help develop a safety technology soon to be employed by automakers that would detect motorists’ blood alcohol concentration (BAC) and automatically prevent them from starting a vehicle if they were above the legal limit to drive.
With hope, this innovative technology called DADSS will soon be available in newer vehicles, keeping drunk drivers off the road. The NHTSA also released some very sobering facts about the consequences of driving while drunk. During the New Year’s holiday period in 2015, drunk driving crashes claimed 31 lives each day, which comes to nearly 140 fatalities over a 4.5 day period. According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), DUI crashes kill an average of 27 Americans every day, costing taxpayers a whopping $132 billion each year.
The most catastrophic cost of these accidents is the loss of life, leaving many families without the love, companionship and support of a father, a mother, a child or a sibling.
When you have been injured or lost a family member to a drunk driver in Louisiana, you need the assistance of an expert attorney who can pursue maximum damages in a court of law.
Victims may be entitled to sue for compensation to account for:
- Medical and hospital expenses
- Loss of income
- Property damage
- Emotional pain and suffering
- Wrongful death
Legal counsel for DUI victims
Louisiana car accident attorney Bart Bernard supports any initiatives designed to stop drunk driving accidents. As a seasoned litigator of personal injury and wrongful death claims, it is his goal to see that justice is served and victims are rightfully compensated for their losses.
To explore your legal options or request a free case review with Bart Bernard, we invite you to call 1-88-GET-BART or stop by our convenient office locations in Lafayette or Baton Rouge.
Additional drunk driving crash resources
- MADD.org, Drunk Driving Statistics,http://www.madd.org/drunk-driving/about/drunk-driving-statistics.html
- NHTSA, U.S. DOT urges public to ‘Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over’ and announces funding for innovative technology to end drunk driving https://www.nhtsa.gov/press-releases/us-dot-urges-public-%E2%80%98drive-sober-or-get-pulled-over%E2%80%99-and-announces-funding-innovative
