Drunk Driving Less Prevalent in Well-Policed Areas

A recent study by the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation examined different communities’ responses to impaired drivers and their effectiveness in keeping drunk drivers off the road. Researchers found that strictly enforcing DUI laws helped to reduce drunk driving accidents.
In order to determine which laws were most effective at curbing drunk driving, researchers examined data from 30 communities. The six data categories included ticketing for violations such as reckless driving and not wearing a seatbelt, as well as the frequency of sobriety checks on the road. Communities with more traffic stops had a lower incidence of impaired driving, whereas communities that had very few traffic stops saw two to three times as many impaired drivers.

Strict Enforcement Motivates Safe Driving

Likewise, communities with a high number of arrests for drunk driving had fewer drunk drivers on the road. Researchers attribute this to strict enforcement of DUI laws, saying that people are more likely to avoid drunk driving if they know there will be consequences. If drivers see a sobriety test being administered or hear of someone being arrested, they are motivated to think twice before driving while intoxicated.

Drunk driving awareness across the U.S. has come a long way in the past few decades. Organizations such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) have helped to communicate the dangers of drunk driving and have lobbied lawmakers to enact tougher legislation to prevent drunk driving car accident fatalities. Still, researchers say there is room for improvement; the current blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit for drivers is 0.08, which roughly equates to four drinks in a one-hour period for a 170-pound man on an empty stomach. This amount of alcohol may still impair drivers, and many countries have lowered the BAC limit to 0.05.

Drunk driving car accidents kill 10,000 people throughout the U.S. each year. These accidents are entirely preventable, but only if drivers engage in responsible behaviors. Even if drivers are under the legal BAC limit, they may still be too impaired to safely operate a vehicle. If you or a loved one has been injured or killed in a car accident involving a drunk driver, an experienced personal injury lawyer can help you get the compensation you deserve.