NHTSA Study Shows Scope of Impaired Driving Problem in the U.S.

A recent study conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) indicates that despite tougher criminal penalties and increased awareness through publicity campaigns, impaired driving remains a serious threat to safety on our country’s roadways.

James O. Cunningham and other Orlando drunk driving accident lawyers were distressed and continue to be concerned by the study’s findings, which include the following impaired driving statistics:

• Drivers impaired by alcohol and/or drugs cause auto accidents that kill at least 25,000 people in the U.S. every year.
• More than 700,000 people are injured each year in accidents caused by drunk and drug-impaired drivers.
• More than half of all fatal auto accidents in the U.S. involve an impaired driver.
• On average, drivers convicted of Driving Under the Influence have a blood-alcohol content of 0.2 percent, more than twice the legal limit of 0.08 percent.
• Drivers with blood-alcohol content as low as 0.01 percent (the equivalent of having one alcoholic beverage with a meal) are at a higher risk for causing an accident.

As previously mentioned, alcohol consumption is not the only threat to road safety in this country. Drug use is also a serious problem and an increasingly common contributing factor in auto accidents. To illustrate the scope of the problem, consider the following drugged driving statistics:

• In 2007, the NHTSA found that more than 16 percent of drivers on weekend nights tested positive for illegal and/or prescription medication.
• Among fatally injured drivers, 18 percent tested positive for at least one illegal or prescription drug.
• According to the NHTSA’s 2009 survey, at least 10.5 million people admitted to driving under the influence of illicit drugs during the previous year.
• That same survey found that 12 percent admitted to driving while under the influence of alcohol during the previous year.
• Age appears to be a factor in drivers driving under the influence of drugs. In 2009, around 6.3 percent of drivers aged 16 or 17 admitted to driving under the influence of drugs. Among adults aged 21 to 25, that percentage increased significantly to 24.8 percent.

Driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs is the very definition of negligence. James O. Cunningham is an Orlando personal injury attorney who works hard for people injured by impaired drivers and helps them receive the fair and just compensation they deserve. If you have been hurt by an impaired driver and are looking for effective legal representation with a proven record of success, call Mr. Cunningham today at 386-243-4994 to schedule your free consultation.

James O. Cunningham

Since 1977, personal injury lawyer James Cunningham has provided effective legal advocacy to people who are injured through the negligent actions of another person or entity throughout the Central Florida area. He fights to obtain recoveries for his clients’ physical and emotional pain and suffering and pursues his clients’ personal injury cases with a commitment to excellence and impeccable preparation.