DUI prevention

Published on: July 20, 2022

Enforcement Campaigns May Help Reduce Auto Accident Fatalities

Even as federal transportation authorities grapple with a spike in deaths in all types of car accidents, a new study finds that high visibility traffic enforcement campaigns may possibly hold the key to reducing those numbers and keeping motorists safe.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently revealed that auto accident death numbers are on the rise. Those numbers were extremely high in 2020, a year in which American motorists drove fewer vehicle miles than in previous years. In 2021, according to projected estimates, those numbers were at their highest in more than a decade. This increase has been high enough to spur federal transportation authorities into action. The new National Highway Traffic Safety Administration chief has announced his Roadway Safety Strategy, a plan that aims to combine efforts towards safer roads, vehicles and motorists to reduce car accident death numbers.

A new analysis by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration finds that high visibility traffic law enforcement campaigns like those that are frequently conducted to encourage motorists to buckle up or drive safely or at posted speeds may be effective in helping reduce car accident fatality numbers

Published on: June 30, 2022

Safety Campaigns and Strong Action Most Effective in Preventing Car Accidents

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

The federal administration spends millions of dollars in traffic safety campaigns every year. An analysis of the effectiveness of these campaigns finds that unless these education campaigns are also combined with practical action, they may have a very limited impact on traffic safety or the number of car accidents which occur each year.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s traffic safety campaigns encourage motorists to drive safely, wear seatbelts and avoid driving under the influence of alcohol. One stellar campaign that the federal agency conducts annually is the Click it or Ticket campaign that encourages motorists to wear seatbelts while driving. The campaign is credited with increasing seatbelt usage across the country, and usage rates are currently now at above 90%. This is a very respectable percentage, although it is still imperative that we reach out to the 10% of motorists who fail to wear seat belts. Individuals who fail to wear a seatbelt are those who are most likely to suffer a personal injury in a car accident. To learn more about personal injury matters involving car accidents, please visit our website.

However, according to some experts, it is not the campaign by itself that has promoted seat belt use. Rather, it is the fact that newer automobiles now come with a seatbelt warning system that gives a motorist time to wear the seatbelt and make sure that everyone else is also buckled in before the driver operates the car. In one such system, the car will not start until a few seconds after the ignition is turned on to give the motorist time to buckle up.

Published on: December 8, 2014

White House Names December National Impaired Driving Prevention Month

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

When most people think of the holiday season, they imagine cookies, presents, and parties. It is a time to spend with family and friends, celebrating love and togetherness. Unfortunately, the holiday season is also a time of increased danger on the roads. With inclement weather and more drivers on the roads, traffic accidents are common at this time of year. In addition, one of the major causes of accidents during the holidays is drugged and intoxicated drivers.

The White House is observing National Impaired Driving Prevention Month this December. While the perils of drunk driving are well known, drugged driving can be just as dangerous. Even prescription drugs can impair perception, reaction time, judgment, and motor skills. In an extensive survey done by the National Highway Traffic Safety in Administration in 2007, one in eight nighttime, weekend drivers tested positive for illicit drugs. In 2012, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health reported that 10.3 million adolescents and adults admitted to having driven under the influence of drugs within the past year. In 2009, one in three fatally injured drivers with known drug-test results tested positive for drugs.

Seventeen states, including Georgia, have adopted zero tolerance or “per se” statutes that make it a crime to operate a vehicle while having alcohol or a drug in the body. Law enforcement officials and researchers believe that this type of statute is the most effective in dealing with drugged drivers. Georgia’s law makes it illegal for a person to operate a motor vehicle “under the influence of any drug to the extent that it is less safe for the person to drive.”

Published on: April 14, 2014

FMCSA Proposes Truck Driver Drug and Alcohol Test Database

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Commercial truck drivers are held to a much higher standard when it comes to driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs when compared to the average motorist. This makes sense, since the stakes are much higher when it comes to commercial semi-truck drivers. Now the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has proposed the establishment of a database that will contain information about driver drug and alcohol tests with the goal of preventing drivers with a substance abuse problem from slipping through the cracks and finding employment in the industry.

The FMCSA recently proposed the establishment of a Commercial Driver’s License Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse, which would function as a database containing information about controlled substance and alcohol test results of commercial truck drivers. All commercial driver license holders would be included in the database.

Under the proposal, commercial motor carriers, employers, medical review officers, substance abuse professionals, as well as third-party agencies would be required to report drug and alcohol test results to the database. These persons would also be required to submit information involving alcohol or drug test refusals, negative return-to-duty test results, adulterated and substitute drug test results as well as other kinds of data that relates to driver alcohol and drug use.Additionally, labs that provide commercial motor carriers with drug and alcohol testing services would be required to report information about testing activities and results.

Published on: October 1, 2012

GHSA Takes Tough Positions on Distracted and Drugged Driving

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) recently adopted expansions of its policies related to distracted driving and drugged driving.These are 2 factors that are cited in thousands of fatal and injury-causing car accidents that occur in the metro Atlanta region every year. We have continued to see an increase in drunk driving accidents in our office, and believe a tougher stand on this problem is necessary to protect Atlanta drivers and passengers.

The GHSA is calling for a complete ban on the use of handheld cell phones while driving across all states.Just a few states have complete bans on hand-held cell phones while driving, while more than 35 states, including Georgia, have banned texting while driving.

The Governors Highway Safety Association earlier supported only bans on text messaging while driving, and bans on the use of electronic devices by both novice drivers as well as school bus drivers.This is the first time that the GHSA has voiced its complete support for bans on handheld cell phone.

Published on: February 5, 2012

GOHS App to Help Prevent Drunk Driving Car Accidents in Georgia

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Getting home safe when you are under the influence of alcohol should be much easier for Atlanta motorists.The Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety has released a smartphone app that is meant to help drivers find a sober ride home after their New Year’s celebrations. Some of the worst auto accidents seen in the office of a personal injury lawyer involve drunk drivers. Inevitably, these car accidents result in the most serious types of personal injury and very often involve a wrongful death.

The New Year’s Eve holidays typically see large numbers of serious and fatal accidents involving intoxicated motorists.The alcohol flows freely over New Year’s, and according to some statistics, more drunk driving take place during this holiday than any other holiday of the year.This year, the Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety issued technology to reach out to motorists, and help them get a safe ride home.

The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety collaborated with a number of safety partners to compile a list of sober ride programs that intoxicated motorists were able to access to make sure that they reach home safe on New Year’s.The list of programs was compiled and made available as a smartphone application.The application is called Drive Sober Georgia.You can still download the application on your iPhone or Android phones.

Published on: October 27, 2011

New Initiative to Reduce Car Accidents caused by Drugged Drivers

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

The White House is collaborating with Mothers against Drunk Driving in a new initiative to reduce the number of fatal auto accidents caused every year by drivers under the influence of drugs.While intoxicated driving gets more than its share of attention, as personal injury attorneys have observed, the fact is that the number of car accidents involving drugged motorists has been steadily increasing. Auto accidents caused by drivers under the influence of drugs often result in severe personal injury and wrongful death.

The new initiative was launched by the National Drug Control Policy and Mothers against Drunk Driving.The partnership will increase awareness about the dangers of driving under the influence of drugs.According to Mothers against Drunk Driving, it has already launched a nationwide campaign against driving under the influence of both alcohol and drugs. MADD is also pushing for tougher law enforcement to enforce laws against driving under the influence of narcotics.The drug control policy office will also be releasing educational materials about the dangers of drugged driving, targeted at parents and teenagers.

Driving under the influence of drugs has an adverse effect on a motorist’s driving abilities.These effects are similar to the effects of intoxicated driving.A motorist’s judgment and abilities may be impacted, and his responses may be weakened.Additionally, drugs can affect a person’s motor abilities and his coordination, impacting his driving.

Published on: October 23, 2011

NHTSA Investing in In-Car Alcohol Detection Devices to Prevent DUI Accidents

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

The threat of car accidents caused by drunk driving has declined over the past few years, but as Atlanta car accident attorneys, we know that intoxicated driving is still a major factor in auto accidents across the state. These accidents often result in severe personal injuries and wrongful death. Therefore, it is good to see that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is continuing to focus on minimizing the threat from intoxicated drivers.The agency is investing in the development of an in-car device that will help detect alcohol levels on a motorist.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investing $2.2 million in the development of the in-vehicle touch-based alcohol testing device.The agency, through the Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety and the Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety has invested in a company called TruTouch Technologies.This company says that it has developed the world’s first touch-based alcohol detection device that can be installed in vehicles.

The device can be used to detect alcohol on a motorist through infrared light.All that the motorist has to do is place his finger on the infrared sensor device, and the device detects alcohol levels within seconds.If the device finds that the alcohol content is beyond a specified limit, then it will disable the starter, preventing drivers from driving the car.What’s more, the device will prevent tampering with the system by recording the person’s biometric information, so that another person cannot use the device to cheat the system.

Published on: June 27, 2011

Atlanta Drunk Driving Accident Risks Exist Even When Motorist Is Driving with Minute Traces of Alcohol

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Very often motorists involved in car accidents believe their ability to drive was unaffected because they had had just a couple of drinks. Unfortunately, their belief is incorrect and dangerous. A new study confirms the reason why so many serious accidents occur even when motorists are driving with a blood alcohol level below the .08% limit.

According to the study, a person may be at risk of causing auto accidents with serious injuries even when he’s driving with barely traceable alcohol levels in his blood.The researchers analyzed accident data involving 1.5 million people.The researchers focused on those accidents involving the most serious injuries, and compared them to those accidents in which the injuries were relatively minor.

They found that accidents, in which the person was driving even with a .01% concentration of alcohol in his blood, were more likely to end in seriously injurious accidents than those accidents involving sober motorists.Specifically, accidents seemed to be at least 36.6% more severe when one of the motorists was driving under the influence of barely traceable levels of alcohol.In comparison, accidents were much less injurious, when the persons involved were not driving under the influence of alcohol in their system.This indicates that even a single alcoholic beverage can be sufficient to impair a person seriously enough to cause an accident that ends with serious injuries.Atlanta drunk driving accident attorneys have observed these issues for years, but it’s good to have a study to confirm our experience.

Published on: February 25, 2011

Ignition Interlock Systems Can Reduce DUI Car Accidents

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

As an Atlanta injury lawyer, I often find that a significant number of wrongful deaths and serious personal injuries arise from drunk driving accidents involving repeat offenders.A new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that the use of ignition interlock devices is successful in preventing repeat drunk driving. Such prevention would unquestionably result in a reduction in drunk driving accidents, injuries and deaths. Each and every Atlanta injury lawyer should advocate for the use of these devices.

The study found that recidivism rates for DUI dropped by approximately 67% when ignition interlock devices were used.Many states including Georgia, have adopted alcohol ignition interlock devices as part of their efforts against DUI.In Georgia, persons convicted of DUI can be ordered by courts to have an ignition interlock device installed in their vehicles if they have prior DUI convictions too.The device requires drivers to blow into it, and measures the alcohol on his breath.If the alcohol content is found to be excessive, the device prevents the motorist from starting the engine.The researchers say that these devices are so useful in preventing drunk driving accidents, that they should be made a mandatory part of DUI prevention efforts around the country. As an injury lawyer, I couldn’t agree more.

Ignition interlock devices receive a lot of criticism from DUI attorneys and the beverage industry.However, these devices have become more sophisticated, accurate and reliable over the years.It’s much harder to “fool” an ignition interlock system now than it used to be a couple of years ago.Some devices require the user to hum while breathing into the tube.