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Drinking and driving still remains a serious problem even though legislation in most American states and Canadian provinces has done a lot to cut back on drinking and driving. In case you are involved in a car accident or you observe driving where drinking has affected or is affecting the judgement of the other driver, AUTO ACCIDENT LAWYER SHERMAN OAKS want you to know what you should do.

 How Prevalent are Alcohol Related Collisions?

Alcohol is known to increase the likelihood of a crash because it impairs judgement and slows reaction time. However the presence of alcohol is neither necessary nor sufficient to cause a crash. Collisions in which the driver has a high blood/alcohol count (BAC)are not necessarily caused by the alcohol. In 2002, 32 percent of fatally injured drivers had BACs of at least 0.08 percent. Alcohol may not have been the cause of all these crashes. But alcohol was a factor present in each.

Ten percent of the people who receive injuries in car collisions are involved in alcohol-related crashes. It is estimated that 3% of these injury-producing crashes involved legally drunk drivers.

Seven percent of all traffic North American accidents involve alcohol use. Over 2% of all vehicle collisions involve drivers who were intoxicated.

Like cell phone use, alcohol is definitely a cause of driver distraction and slower reaction time. Alcohol consumption, texting or talking on a cell phone while driving, driving while tired, aggressive driving and driving while drugged are all preventable causes of traffic accidents, injuries and deaths. While there has been a dramatic and continuing drop in alcohol-related traffic accidents since stiffer penalties and RIDE programs have increased much more needs to be done to prevent drunk driving.

What Should You Do?

As a driver, you should know that in all 50 states, there are two statutory offenses related to driving under the influence of alcohol. The first is driving under the influence (DUI), driving while intoxicated/impaired (DWI), or operating [a motor vehicle] while intoxicated/impaired (OWI). The evidence is based upon a police officer’s observations. The officer takes into account such things as erratic driving behavior, slurred speech and the results of a roadside sobriety test. If you observe any of these signs in another driver’s behavior, AUTO ACCIDENT LAWYER SHERMAN OAKS state you should immediately call police and report this behavior, the location and the car license plate number.

For more information oncar accident claims involving alcohol, contact AUTO ACCIDENT LAWYER SHERMAN OAKS.