drunk driving

Published on: December 14, 2010

More Than 10% of Georgia Drivers at Risk of Drunk Driving Accidents in 2009

A study just released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration indicates that the rates of both drunk and drugged driving declined over the past year. While this is a good sign for reducing drunk driving accidents, in 2009, there were approximately 30 million drunk drivers in the US, and another 10 million driving in a drugged state. Therefore, there continues to be a significant risk of persons being killed and injured in drunk driving accidents.

The study has been released just in time for the holiday season, when more numbers of intoxicated motorists can be expected on Georgia’s streets. It only proves to Atlanta drunk driving accident lawyers that even though we have made much progress in reducing the numbers of intoxicated motorists on the road, especially hard-core drinkers who are responsible for so many accidents every year, there is much more that needs to be done.

The survey included more than 200,000 people, and found that overall, approximately 3o million Americans aged 16 and above drove drunk over the past year. That is based on an aggregate of the drunk driver rates between 2006 and 2009. That works out to about 13 .2% of the population.

Published on: August 28, 2010

Report Indicates Drunk Driving Still Serious Threat

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Report Indicates Drunk Driving Still Serious Threat

Fact – Drunk driving fatality rates have dropped significantly over the past five years.

Fact – Fatal drunk driving accidents account for 31% of all highway accidents in the US.

Published on: September 11, 2009

Gwinnett County Police Officer Arrested after Drunk Driving Accident

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Gwinnett County Police Officer Arrested after Drunk Driving Accident

You would expect a law enforcement officer, who sees the devastation caused by drunk driving accidents everyday, to have a better appreciation for the consequences of these. Not always, it appears. A police officer in Gwinnett County has been arrested for driving under the influence after he caused a minor accident.

The officer James Stoudenmire, was driving a Mustang that rear ended another car stopped at a red light. The passenger in the other vehicle suffered a leg injury. Officers, who responded at the scene, noticed the strong smell of alcohol, and administered a field sobriety test. Stoudenmire was reported "unsteady” during the test. He also confessed that he had consumed four alcoholic drinks. He was charged with DUI and following too closely. Stoudenmire has been placed on administrative leave.

Published on: August 11, 2009

Increase in Number of Women Involved in Drunk Driving Accidents

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Nationwide, there has been an increase in the number of female motorists involved in drunk driving accidents over the past decade. The recent death of a mother with seven others in an allegedly alcohol-fueled car accident, has turned the spotlight on this disturbing phenomenon.

Last month, Diane Schuler drove the wrong way on a street in Rochester in New York, crashing head-on into another vehicle. Diane, her 2-year-old daughter and three nieces all below 8 years of age, died when the van plowed head-on into another vehicle. Three people in the other car were also killed.Toxicology reports post the tragic accident, have shown that Schuler had alcohol in her system at the time of the crash. A broken bottle of vodka was also found in her van.

According to the New York Times, her niece Emma who was in the car with her, called her father a few minutes before the crash, complaining that her aunt was having trouble seeing, and was slurring. Investigators are now looking into Schuler’s alcohol history, as well as her actions in the hours leading up to the accident. They are looking into where she purchased the alcohol, and who allowed a woman with a blood alcohol level of .19 percent to be driving a car with children. Schuler’s family has denied that she had an alcohol problem. Her husband has spoken to the press about how his wife had a medical condition that could have caused the accident.