Dangers of drunk driving in Massachusetts

On behalf of Aiken and Aiken P.C. Personal Injury Attorneys posted in Car Accidents, on Thursday, February 19, 2015

Every year, numerous drunk driving accidents happen in Massachusetts, too often resulting in serious personal injuries or deaths of innocent people. Drunk drivers risk not only their own personal safety, but that of all others on the road around them. Despite these risks and despite tightening laws, people continue to drink and drive.The statistics regarding drunk driving accidents are alarming. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a person dies somewhere in America every 51 minutes due to the actions of a drunk and impaired driver. This amounts to nearly 30 people killed on a daily basis. In 2012 alone, 10,322 people across the United States were killed in accidents caused by drunk drivers. In 2010, well over a million people were charged with drunk driving in the United States. While that may seem like a high number of arrests, it represents a mere one percent of the 112 million who self-reported having engaged in at least one drinking and driving episode during that calendar year. In 2012, 239 children 14 or under died in drunk driving accidents, representing 20 percent of all child car accident fatalities for the year. Over half of those children who were killed were the innocent passengers riding in the car being driven by the drunk driver.It is difficult to know what to do to address the situation regarding drunk drivers. A person who suffers a serious injury in a car collision caused by a drunk driver may want to consider filing a personal injury civil lawsuit. Through such a lawsuit, injured victims may be able to recover damages to compensate for the losses they have sustained as a result of the accident. Source: Centers for Disease Contril and Prevention, “Impaired Driving: Get the Facts”, Jan. 13, 2015