Drinking and Driving Facts that Should Sober You up!

Even though everybody knows that drinking and driving is not only an illegal, but also an exceedingly stupid thing to do, there seems to be no cessation in drunk driving arrests, accidents, and fatalities in Phoenix stemming from alcohol or drug use. The main reason that drivers still get behind the wheel, even though they “know better” is because they never think that it will hit them. But it is not a question if they get arrested or injured, but when. The facts, speak for themselves and so in today’s blog, we have compiled a list of drunk driving questions and answers that should have you sober up in no time at all and prevent you from ever driving under the influence again.

Drinking and Driving Facts that Should Sober You up!

If you are still drinking and driving here are some facts that should have you sober up!

Phoenix, Arizona

 

Here are the most important drunk driving questions answered!

How big is the correlation between drinking and fatal car accidents?

Obviously there is a connection between driving impaired and causing an accident. In fact, alcohol plays a role in 40 % of all fatal car accidents in the U.S. and wreck up costs of about $50 billion annually.

According to a study published by the CDC, 9,967 people dies in car accidents in 2014. This makes it one third of all fatal car accidents. That also means that about 27 people die due to drunk driving every day.

Additionally, more than 1 million drunk drivers were arrested in 2014 for drunk driving, which is only 1% !!! of the total amount of self-proclaimed drunk drivers. And if this is not bad enough, consider this, about half of all children that die in a car accident with alcohol involvement are driving in the car with an alcohol impaired parent.

What is the most common type of alcohol consumed?

Beer is the drink of choice for drivers in Phoenix and beyond. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA). It holds the pole position in both fatal crashes and DUI arrests. In addition, it can also be credited to be the top choice for underaged drinkers and binge drinking, probably because it is affordable and easily accessible. Often, drivers are misguided, because of beer’s relatively low alcohol content compared to other alcoholic beverages.

Underaged drinking is an immense issue, despite the Zero tolerance law for drivers under the age of 21. In fact, almost a quarter of 16-20 year olds that were killed in a drunk driving related incident in 2006 had a BAC of at least 0.08

Does gender matter?

It does. Men are much more likely (twice as much) to drive under the influence and to be involved in a fatal car crashes. And that is despite men being able (in theory) to drink more than women in order to achieve the same level of BAC.

For example, four drinks for a man weighing about 180 lbs results in an approximate BAC of .08 whereas a woman weighing about 140 lbs will have a BAC of .13 when drinking the same amount as her male counterpart. This may not be fair but is something worth considering nevertheless.

Do DUI Laws work?

Sadly, despite Arizona’s rather harsh drunk driving laws, many drivers are not deterred at all. The shocking truth is that up to 75% of those who have lost their license due to a drunk driving conviction are still on the road driving-without license.

Plus, those drunk drivers that are involved in fatal crashes are seven times more likely to have gotten arrested on a prior DUI charge. Whether or not DUI laws work to lower the odds, is debatable. Some claim yes and others the opposite.

In Phoenix, DUI checkpoints have reportedly seen a decrease in drunk drivers it is not significant enough to prove or disprove either statement. However, by filtering out a certain amount of drunk drivers, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of drunk driving incidents by approximately 10%.

What’s shocking about these statistics is that there seems to be no end in sight and that drivers in Arizona have been and continue to be willing to drink and drive and gamble with their own lives and those of others.

Every effort is made to minimize the odds of drunk drivers on the street such as zero tolerance for drivers younger than 21 and the installation and use of interlock devices for those convicted of drunk driving, but even that is only temporary and many return to their bad habits once the devices has been removed. However, as long as the interlock device is in the car, we have seen a reduced arrest rate of repeat offenders by as much as 70%.

The message is simple: don’t drink and drive. That being said, if you feel that you are facing unjust DUI charges or question the legality of an Arizona sobriety checkpoint, we encourage you to contact an Phoenix DUI defense attorney.

My AZ Lawyers has been representing clients who are facing DUI charges successfully for many years. Contact us today to learn more about our DUI defense strategies and to schedule your free consultation.

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