Drunk drivers cause thousands of car accident injuries per year. They also kill hundreds of people in fatal crashes each year (at least 746 in 2020). Despite Florida’s campaign to convince people to not drink and drive, thousands drunk driving car accident injuries occur each year.
Impaired drivers do not always hurt themselves. In fact, drivers under the influence of alcohol can just as easily injure passengers and people in other vehicles. When people decide to drive while impaired, they are often putting the lives of everyone on Florida roadways at risk.
Florida’s Drunk Driving Law
Florida law enforcement has made driving under the influence a point of emphasis over the years. In addition to the DUI checkpoints and patrolling that go into most law enforcement efforts to curtail driving under the influence, Florida also started a marketing and awareness campaign. Decreasing impaired driving should also reduce drunk driving car accident injuries.
“Arrive Alive” is a campaign designed to unify all Florida safety agencies and partners. Part of the program called for Florida Law Enforcement to concentrate their efforts in certain “hot spots” where fatal and serious bodily injury crashes are most common.
The laws in Florida carry stiff penalties for drunk driving. Florida’s laws consider any driver operating a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol level above 0.08 to be driving under the influence. A DUI conviction (“driving under the influence”) can cause a driver to lose their driver license. First time offenders typically lose their license for six (6) months.
Second time offenders could potentially face jail time of up to 9 months and lose their license for as long as one year. Additionally, Florida courts require all second time DUI offenders to have an ignition interlock device installed in their car.
Florida Drunk Driving Statistics
The 746 fatalities in auto accidents involving drunk driving in 2020 was actually a 33% decrease in fatalities compared to 2019. In fact, the number of impaired-driving crashes, fatalities, and injuries involving drugs or alcohol all declined from 2019 to 2020. The decrease was likely the result of the pandemic changing driving habits.
Florida’s Campaign to Stop Drunk Driving
Despite the decrease in DUI fatalities in 2020 compared to 2019, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) is continuing its efforts to fight drunk and impaired driving.
The month of March is when tourists from across the country flock to Florida. The increase in travel caused by Spring Break partiers and families taking a beach vacation causes populations to expand and roadways to clog. In March 2021, FLHSMV and Florida Highway Patrol are starting a new awareness campaign. The “Never Drive Impaired” campaign seeks to remind Florida motorists that “there is never an excuse to drive impaired.”
The “Never Drive Impaired” campaign’s goal is to reduce impaired-driving crashes and fatalities. The FLHSMV plans to do this through education and prevention messaging via a more innovative marketing campaign than had previously been utilized in similar campaigns. Their plan is to change commonly held misconceptions and to eliminate excuses drivers tell themselves when they drive drunk..
The FLHSMV Executive Director had this to say in a recent press release: “Choosing to drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs can have serious, life-altering consequences. You can hurt yourself. You can hurt others.”
Common Injuries of Drunk Driving Car Accidents
Drunk Driving car accidents can cause many different sorts of injuries. However, due to the nature of the recklessness drunk drivers often display, many times drunk driving accidents can be far more severe. Some of the most serious injuries people suffer in drunk driving car accidents are:
- Traumatic Brain Injuries – Both the drunk driver and the accident victim are at risk of suffering head trauma in an accident. These head injuries occur when a victim’s head strikes parts of the interior of the vehicle. They can be quite severe and should be treated immediately.
- Broken Bones – When people think of car accident injuries, they usually think of broken bones. Accident victims will often injure their arm, leg, and rib bones in accidents due to the forces these crashes exert. These injuries can be excruciating and should be treated by emergency responders as soon as possible.
- Neck and Back Injuries – These injuries are associated with all sorts of car accidents. However, the severity of neck and back injuries can increase greatly when drivers are traveling at a high rate of speed.
Drunk drivers that are responsible for the injuries mentioned above (and more) should pay. Their insurance companies are often quick to respond to demand similarly to how they treat all claims. However, injury victims must remember that the insurance company has a duty to their insured to properly handle all injury claims. If you’ve been hurt by an impaired-driver, you have the right to be made whole again.
Call Knapp Accident & Injury Law
If you or someone you know or love has been injured in a drunk driving car accident, you may be able to make a recovery. You need an attorney that knows how to pursue all the compensation you are owed.
Call me today at (813) 568-3724 for a free consultation. Knapp Accident & Injury Law has years of experience pursuing drunk drivers to get the maximum recovery for clients. Don’t let a drunk driver injure you and their insurance company refuse to pay. Call Alexander Knapp today.
