New CDC Study Indicates Drunk Driving Less Prevalent But DUI Remains a Problem

While a report released by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) provides some encouraging news regarding declines in the number of drivers who report driving while intoxicated, the report also makes clear that drunk driving continues to be a serious issue.

Drunken driving rates have declined by 30 percent during the last five-year period. Based on data compiled by interviewing drivers, the CDC estimates that there were in excess of 112 million drunk driving incidents during 2010, which amounts to a staggering 300,000 people who are drinking and driving each day.

The situation is made worse because the study also revealed that those who drink and drive tend to binge drink before driving. The lion-share of those who engaged in driving following imbibing alcohol indicated that they had four or five drinks within a short period before driving. While the overall trend supports the view that the total number of those who drink before driving tends to be declining, this does not necessarily mean that there are fewer intoxicated drivers because the number of binge drinkers has not been declining and accounts for 85 percent of drivers who drink before driving.

The numbers basically reflect that about one in fifty drivers operate their motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol. While approximately sixty percent of drunk drivers indicated that they only committed DUI once, some conceded to committing DUI on almost a daily basis. Clearly, the decline in those who report drinking before driving is encouraging, but there still is plenty of room to be concerned about motorist safety.

The CDC also speculates that the improvement may be little more than a reflection of the poor economy. The assumption is that the decline in those who drink and drive may reflect the fact that more people are drinking at home to save money as opposed to going to bars and restaurants to indulge. If this theory is valid, then once the economy recovers the number of drunk drivers may again begin to climb.

Ultimately, drunk driving poses a completely unacceptable risk of causing catastrophic injury or wrongful death to both passengers in a drunk driver’s car, those in other vehicles and pedestrians. A driver with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 percent will experience difficulty maintaining speed, processing information and reasoning. As a driver’s blood alcohol rises to .10 percent BAC, a driver has difficulty maintaining their lane and has seriously impaired braking times.

While the Atlanta drunk driving attorneys at Montlick and Associates are pleased to see fewer people are drinking and driving, we continue to hear from many who suffer terrible injuries as victims of drunk drivers. Our Atlanta drunk driving accident lawyers are available to assist clients throughout all of Georgia and the Southeast, including but not limited to Albany, Athens, Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, Gainesville, Macon, Marietta, Rome, Roswell, Savannah, Smyrna, Valdosta, Warner Robins and all smaller cities and rural areas in the state. No matter where you are located our attorneys are just a phone call away, and we will even come to you. Call us 24 hours a day/7 days a week for your Free Consultation at 1-800-LAW-NEED (1-800-529-6333). You can also visit us online at www.montlick.com and use our Free Case Evaluation Form or 24-hour Live Online Chat.