In an effort to help reduce the enormous and completely avoidable human and financial toll that DUIs place on Georgia residents, Montlick & Associates has invested heavily over the past 28 years in a statewide "Don't Drink and Drive" public service initiative. The firm recently unveiled their 2012 campaign that includes several new television messages, as well as outdoor billboards- posted at http://www.montlick.com/DontDrinknDrive, and the firm’s Family Safety Guide: 5 Steps to Help Prevent Drunk Driving Accidents.

There is a great deal of media coverage about DUI accidents in the Atlanta metro and elsewhere throughout Georgia. Most people assume that driving under the influence only means driving while intoxicated with alcohol.

Despite the enormous number of car accidents caused by drunk drivers, there have been substantial gains made in recent years to reduce the number of drunken driving accidents linked to tougher drunk driving laws, stricter enforcement and efforts aimed at curbing teen drunk driving.

There is a great deal of controversy surrounding the effectiveness of DUI checkpoints with widely divergent opinion depending on who is asked. The alcohol beverage industry predictably contends that DUI checkpoints are ineffective and costly.

Georgia has been one of only three states in the whole country to have a ban on alcohol sales at stores on Sundays. Last month that changed when the House approved Senate Bill 10. The legislation would allow for local cities to put the issue out to vote in their elections. By next year, Sunday sales of alcohol could be a reality in metro Atlanta and other locales.

If you are out celebrating for the holidays and are thinking about taking a chance and driving home, you may find yourself subject to an aggressive new enforcement tool being used to curtail drunk driving during the holiday season. The U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has announced a new drunk driving enforcement policy that will be used as it begins its annual "Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest."  holiday season crackdown on drunk driving.

Christmas week is here and Georgia residents are busy with Christmas and New Year's Eve parties and last minute shopping. While this is a wonderful time of year filled with joy and happiness for many, it is also a time with high car accident rates and tragedy for others. The brutal weather that has hit Atlanta has only exacerbated the high accident risk associated with increased drinking and driving during the holidays. While public education campaigns, more aggressive enforcement of DUI laws, and stiffer DUI sentences have helped reduce drunk driving, many people still have a sense of invincibility and will choose to get behind the wheel of a car and drive home from holiday parties.

A Buford man was killed when he lost control of his 1998 GMC Sonoma and his vehicle flipped over on Hog Mountain Road in Gwinnett County. The police reports indicate that Joe Archer lost control of his vehicle and crossed the centerline before hitting the curb on the other side of the road. Police indicated that they believe that alcohol contributed to the accident. Single car auto accidents typically involve younger male drivers and are often linked to sleepiness or alcohol use.

All across Georgia and throughout the U.S., Americans spend much of their lives in a motor vehicle commuting to work, taking our children to school, or driving to the grocery store or local mall. One study found that the average person spends approximately 540 hours per year or over two hours per day in a motor vehicle. Given the enormous amount of time we spend driving, the risk of being involved in an auto accident with a drunk driver is much greater than many would care to imagine. Tragically, many of us have a loved one who may have been involved in an alcohol related car accident and suffered catastrophic injuries or even fatalities. The victim of a drunk driving accident is almost always not responsible for causing an accident, but helpless to avoid it as well.