December is National Impaired Driving Prevention Month
Since 1981, every president of the United States has proclaimed December as National Drunk & Drugged Driving Prevention Month or, more recently, National Impaired Driving Prevention Month to create awareness about the dangers of driving while impaired by drugs or alcohol. December is chosen for the simple reason that the weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day have consistently higher rates of drug and alcohol related crashes. December, 2020 was declared National Impaired Driving Prevention Month (2022 Update) by President Trump.
If you lost a loved one in an impaired driving accident due to the reckless behavior of the other driver, you are likely reeling from your loss. You may also be wondering how you are going to afford the medical bills from the accident, how you’ll be able to afford to stay in your house or even how to pay for burial and funeral expenses. The best thing to do is contact a wrongful death lawyer in your area. The attorney can discuss your legal rights and may be able to help you recover a fair settlement to compensate you for your losses. A wrongful death settlement usually covers funeral and burial expenses, medical bills, pain and suffering, loss of consortium, lost wages and other damages, depending on the particulars of the case.
Impaired driving statistics
Over the years, drunk driving has received considerably more attention than drugged driving. While drunk driving is a very serious problem, it’s important that we also talk about drugged driving statistics and the risks of driving under the influence of drugs. According to the 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), in 2018, 20.5 million people drove under the influence of alcohol that year and an additional 12.6 million drove under the influence of illegal drugs.
The choice to drive while impaired ends in tragedy every day. According to data from CDC.gov, in the United States alone, one person tragically dies every 50 minutes in a drunk driving incident. According to the Governors Highway Safety Association, 43.6 percent of drivers who were fatally injured in 2016 tested positive for drugs and over half of those drivers had two or more drugs present in their system.
How do alcohol and drugs increase the risk of motor vehicle accidents?
Every time we get behind the wheel, we are technically risking a motor vehicle accident. We must avoid distractions like talking on our cell phones, follow traffic signals and speed limits and look out for hazards. When a driver consumes drugs or alcohol and then decides to drive before the effects have worn off, they are potentially driving with impaired judgement, slower reaction times and decreased motor coordination. Different types of drugs can create different types of dangerous behaviors. For example, marijuana often leads to very slow reaction times while street drugs like cocaine can increase aggressive driving behaviors that can lead to an accident.
Seek the help of a car accident attorney
If you or a loved one was injured because of the negligence of another, contact a personal injury lawyer to discuss your legal rights. Let an experienced car accident attorney fight for the full compensation that you deserve. It is not uncommon to receive a settlement from the insurance company that is five to ten times larger with the help of a lawyer. Call the personal injury lawyers at Tario & Associates, P.S. in Bellingham, WA today for a FREE consultation! We have been representing residents of Whatcom County, Skagit County, Island County and Snohomish County since 1979. You will pay nothing up front and no attorney fees at all unless we recover damages for you!
