Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol (DUI) is a huge road safety problem and there are two groups in particular, that show a high risk for doing so. “Hard-core drinking drivers” and teenagers have substantially higher crash risks than any other group.
However, in terms of pursuing a case, liability is much easier to prove DUI-related accidents caused by repeat offenders and teens. Aside from having test results (breathalyzer, blood tests, sobriety tests, etc.) to present as evidence of their impairment, there are certain laws that impose stricter liability on teenagers and hard-core drinking drivers.
For example, in California, there is a “Zero Tolerance” law that sets a much lower limit of blood alcohol concentration or complete prohibits the presence of any for drivers under the age of 21. Also, repeat DUI offenders are likely to face graver charges if caught drinking and driving or involved in a car accident which resulted to injury or death of other motorists. Take for instance, the drunk driver who killed Los Angeles Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart was charged and convicted with second-degree murder instead of manslaughter because he had a previous DUI law. His prior DUI as well as the fact that he signed a court form saying he could be charged with murder if he drove drunk again and killed someone increased his liability. Your Los Angeles car accident lawyer can utilize any of these to ensure the success of your case against a teen or repeat drunk driver.
Here are more facts about DUI teens and hard-core drinking drivers:
Teenagers
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), as much as 60 percent of people aged 16-24 years old are killed in alcohol-related traffic accidents.
While teens (especially those who are underage) are less likely to get their hands on alcohol, even the smallest amount of alcohol in their blood content (.02-.05 percent) can increase their chances of getting involved or killed in fatal crash by as much as 7 times. At 1-2 drinks, young male drivers can be involved in twice as many deadly accidents as female drivers.
Car accident risks are substantially higher for teenagers when they drink and drive because even with low or moderate BACs, when paired with the teen’s lack of experience drinking, or driving, or both, their ability to identify and avoid road hazards or make safe judgments becomes drastically impaired which can lead to more crashes.
“Hard-core Drinking Driver”
This term which refer to repeat to DUI offenders was coined by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) to identify people who repeatedly drive while under the influence of alcohol and are resistant to changing their behavior despite previous sanctions, treatments, or education.
According to the IIHS, people with prior DUI convictions are overrepresented among drivers in fatal crashes. In a federal study, it was revealed that drivers convicted of alcohol-impaired driving in the past 3 years are at least 1.8 times as likely to be in fatal crashes as drivers with no prior convictions during the same time period. Also, they are at least 4 times as likely to be in fatal crashes in which drivers have high BACs (0.10 percent or higher).
