Rainy Conditions Require Caution

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, every day, 36 people in the United States die, and approximately 700 more are injured, in motor vehicle crashes that involve an alcohol-impaired driver. The annual cost of alcohol-related crashes totals more than $51 billion. In 2006, 13,470 people died in alcohol-impaired driving crashes, accounting for nearly one-third (32%) of all traffic-related deaths in the United States. In 2007, over 1.4 million drivers were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics. That’s less than one percent of the 159 million self-reported episodes of alcohol-impaired driving among U.S. adults each year.

When police investigators find alcoholic beverages in the aftermath of a car accident and the facts indicate that the driver suddenly and unexpectedly left the highway and crossed into the oncoming lane, it might be safe to conclude that the wreck was alcohol related. Reference a situation reported on the website of the Johnson City-Press about a fatal collision on I-26 in which Jamin M. Dodd, 19, an underage driver died after his car veered from the road and hit the vehicle driven by Katie A. Flannery, 28, head on leaving her with serious but not life-threatening injuries. Investigators mentioned in the report that it was raining and Mr. Dodd might have hydroplaned.

In Tennessee possession of alcohol is limited to persons over the age of 21 and open containers are illegal for any driver no matter the age. Investigators are withholding a final report as to the cause of this accident until they complete the toxicology tests.

The CDC study went on to state that over the past 20 years, alcohol-related fatal crash rates have decreased by 60 percent for drivers ages 16 to 17 years and 55 percent for drivers ages 18 to 20 years, according to a study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). However, this progress has stalled in the past few years. To further decrease alcohol-related fatal crashes among young drivers, communities need to implement and enforce strategies that are known to be effective, such as minimum legal drinking age laws and “zero tolerance” laws for drivers under 21 years of age. It’s also important for parents to be involved and set a good example for young drivers.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Nashville automobile accident involving a drunk driver you owe it to yourself to contact the experienced the Nashville automobile accident attorney’s at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation so you can learn about your rights and remedies.