Alcohol-Impaired Driving Crashes can be Fatal
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a driver is considered alcohol-impaired when his or her blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is .08 grams per deciliter (g/dL) or higher. Therefore, if there is a fatal car crash where the driver had a BAC of .08 g/dL or higher, that car crash is classified as an alcohol-impaired-driving crash. Furthermore, the fatalities which occur in those alcohol-impaired driving crashes are considered to be alcohol-impaired-driving fatalities.
Motorcycle Riders Have More Fatalities for Alcohol-Impaired Driving Crashes than Cars and Commercial Trucks
In its most recent key findings, the United States Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) found as follows:
- In 2017 there were 10,874 fatalities in motor vehicle traffic crashes involving drivers with BACs of .08 g/dL or higher. This totaled 29 percent of all traffic fatalities for the year. Note: It is illegal in every state, including Mississippi and Tennessee, to drive with a BAC of .08 g/dL or higher.
- An average of 1 alcohol-impaired-driving fatality occurred every 48 minutes in 2017.
- The estimated economic cost of all alcohol-impaired crashes (involving alcohol-impaired drivers or alcohol impaired nonoccupants) in the United States in 2010 (the most recent year for which cost data is available) was $44 billion.
- Of the traffic fatalities in 2017 among children 14 and younger, 19% occurred in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes.
- The 21- to 24-year-old age group had the highest percentage (27%) of drivers with BACs of .08 g/dL or higher in fatal crashes compared to other age groups in 2017.
- The percentage of drivers with BACs of .08 g/dL or higher in fatal crashes in 2017 was highest for fatalities involving motorcycle riders (27%), compared to passenger cars (21%), light trucks (20%), and large trucks (3%).
- The rate of alcohol impairment among drivers involved in fatal crashes in 2017 was 3.6 times higher at night than during the day.
- In 2017 among the 10,874-alcohol impaired-driving fatalities, 68 percent (7,368) were in crashes in which at least one driver had a BAC of .15 g/dL or higher.
Source: NHTSA
These alarming findings send shivers down the spine of most law-abiding motorists. Many families across the nation have lost a loved one, been maimed for life, suffered brain damage or been seriously injured in motor vehicle crashes caused by alcohol-impaired drivers.
Contact a Southaven Mississippi Alcohol Crash Lawyer Today
If you or anyone you know have been seriously injured in crashes caused by an alcohol or drug impaired driver, call Salu & Salu Law Firm immediately on (662) 342-7007 or use our contact form for a free evaluation of your case. Our attorneys are licensed in Mississippi and Tennessee.
Schedule a Free Consultation with a Memphis Tennessee Wrongful Death Lawyer
If you lost a loved one in a tragic alcohol related motor vehicle crash, you may have a Wrongful Death claim. Please call our office to speak with an experienced wrongful death lawyer at (662) 342-7007 or send us an e-mail for a free case evaluation. Our law firm handles wrongful death claims throughout Mississippi and Tennessee.