Drinking and Driving Don't Mix!

 There is no question that alcohol plays a role in many fatal car accidents. Almost everyone knows someone who has been affected by a drunk driver. A drunk driving wreck – as you know – can change anyone’s life forever in one split second. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 8,027 drivers were killed in drunk driving accidents across the country in 2008. These accidents involved drunk drivers who had a blood alcohol level of 0.08 or above.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has reported that the chances of being involved in a fatal car wreck increases significantly after reaching 0.05 percent blood alcohol concentration (BAC) and the odds are even worse for 0.08 percent BAC. Just one or two drinks can cause a person to have a BAC of 0.05 percent, depending on his or her weight. Consuming three drinks can lead to a BAC of 0.08 percent. It just shows that it doesn’t take a lot of alcohol to become too impaired to drive. It only takes one careless person who has a problem with alcohol or drugs to get behind the wheel of a car and change your life forever.

Drivers with BACs of 0.15 percent or greater, have a high risk of dying in a car accident or becoming severely injured. Someone who consumes enough alcohol to reach a 0.15 percent BAC is considered to be a “hard-core” drinking driver and is a danger to others on the road. The problem is that when the impaired driver walks away from a devastating crash but kills another innocent person or even entire family!

All states, including Texas, have enacted laws defining impairment as driving with a 0.08 percent BAC or higher. In Texas, impairment is referred to as driving while intoxicated (DWI). Even with all of the education and campaigns to alert people to the dangers of driving drunk, (MADD) or (SADD) these accidents still occur at a staggering rate. It has been estimated that thousands of deaths in 2008 could have been prevented if the drivers’ BACs were below 0.08 percent.

A DRUNK DRIVER can lead to serious injuries and death. If you have been injured in a car accident in Houston, Cypress, Northwest Houston, Missouri City, La Marque, Clear Lake, Friendswood, Conroe, The Woodlands, Webster, Richmond, Rosenberg, or Sugarland, which was caused by a drunk driver, contact Gregg S. Harrison Attorney at Law at 832.797.7600 immediately. ALL CONSULTATIONS ARE FREE OF CHARGE!