With the biggest game of the year, Super Bowl Sunday, last weekend, many football fans attended themed parties or went out to their favorite bars to watch the game with friends and family. Usually accompanying these get-togethers is alcohol. The trouble comes when a person who was drinking makes the conscious decision to break the law and get behind the wheel.

Scary Drunk Driving Statistics

Think you’re immune to the danger of drunk driving accidents? Take a look at some frightening drunk driving statistics.

According to the CDC, every 51 minutes, a person in the United States is killed in a car accident involving a drunk driver.  In 2015, over 10,000 people were killed by a drunk driver. In the state of New York, there were 7,849 total drunk driving crashes reported in 2014. Oneida, Onondaga, and Oswego Counties are in the top five counties in New York with the highest drunk driving rates, all three being higher than the state’s average.

Among the most chilling statistics is this: Each day, people drink and drive over 300,000 times. However, only about 2,800 are arrested for a DWI or DUI.

Tips on Spotting Someone Driving Drunk

While you may know better and are not breaking any criminal laws by drinking and driving, there are unfortunately those who are doing so and putting their careless and reckless habits above others’ safety.  Here’s what to look out for when spotting a drunk driver:

• Inability to stay in their lane and swerving all over the road
• Driving on the wrong side of the road
• Making a turn without using signals
• Driving without headlights at night
• Driving at a very low speed
• Driving at a very high speed
• Tailgating
• Strange driving behavior such as stopping at a green light

What to Do If You Spot a Drunk Driver

If you ever have the misfortune of coming across a driver you believe may be intoxicated, call 911 immediately. Give the exact location the driver was spotted as well as any descriptive details you may have including the type of car or even their license plate. Next, pull over and keep as far away from the drunk driver as possible. If you can, warn other drivers of the danger ahead.

What Not to Do

Never try to pass a suspected drunk driver. Do not try to engage or approach the driver. Let the police handle the talking. Furthermore, never follow the drunk driver. Let the police take care of it. Do not put yourself in harm’s way.

If you or someone you know was injured by a drunk driver who was breaking the law, contact personal injury lawyer, Brindisi, Murad, Brindisi and Pearlman today. The person committing a DUI made the conscious decision to put lives in danger and you should not have to pay for it. Though a personal injury lawyer can not turn back time, we can try to correct a wrong and help get restitution for an injured person’s pain and suffering, physical suffering and mental anguish or for the family of a person killed by a drunk driver in a wrongful death lawsuit. We recognize that a DUI arrest is not enough, and, that this does not make an injured person or a grieving family whole for the substantial losses they have to endure as a result of a drunk driver’s recklessness and decision to break the law. We will stand up for your immeasurable injustice and get you the compensation you rightfully deserve.  Contact our office for a free consultation today.

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Tags: Car Accidents