In Louisiana and other areas of the United States, impaired driving results in thousands of preventable deaths and injuries and many other societal costs. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has released a fact sheet showing the effects of intoxicated driving. The report also shows the demographics that are most likely to get behind the wheel while under the influence of alcohol.
Every day, nearly 30 people die from motor accidents involving a driver impaired by alcohol. This amounts to more than 10,000 fatally injured individuals per year and one death every 51 minutes. Alcohol-impaired drivers are responsible for 31 percent of all traffic-related fatalities, and the annual cost of driving while under the influence is estimated to be more than $59 billion. In addition, about 18 percent of traffic-related deaths involve drugs other than alcohol, such as opiates, marijuana and cocaine.
Although 112 million individuals self-reported driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs in 2010, only 1.4 million of these episodes resulted in arrests. Out of all fatal crashes involving alcohol, 31 percent of the individuals involved were between the ages of 21 and 24. Individuals between the ages of 25 and 34 were responsible for 27 percent of fatal crashes, while individuals between the ages of 35 and 44 were responsible for 24 percent of fatal crashes.
If an individual has been in an accident involving an alcohol-impaired driver or lost a loved one because of intoxicated driving, a legal representative may be able to help. By demonstrating that the allegedly at-fault driver may have been intoxicated driver, compensation may be awarded in order to pay for medical expenses, lost wages and other damages resulting from the car accident.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Impaired Driving: Get the Facts“, December 06, 2014
