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: July 1, 2021

Study Confirms Role of Ride Share Apps and Reducing DUI Accident Rates

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Yet another study confirms the significant role that ride sharing apps like Uber can play in helping reduce injuries from drunk driving accidents in areas like the metro Atlanta region. The study finds that these apps help lower injury risks, and that the drop is even more significant in the case of younger drivers.

The results of the study were published recently in the JAMA Surgery journal, and explored the role of rideshare apps like Uber and Lyft in reducing injuries caused by accidents, specifically accidents involving impaired drivers. The advent of services like Uber has been a boon for intoxicated persons looking for a ride home that is safe, responsible cheap and convenient. Before Uber, drivers would actually have to designate sober motorists to take them home, or even worse drive themselves in an intoxicated condition. However, these apps make it easier for intoxicated motorists or their friends to ride home safely. The hope is that more people will use ride sharing apps during the upcoming Fourth of July weekend to prevent a spike in drunk driving related accidents.

The study focused on drunk driving accident rates after 2014 when Uber was introduced in the country, and compared those with accident-related injuries from before that time. They found that after ride sharing apps like Uber became available, accident injuries over the weekends in the area studied dropped by as much as 24%. The drop was the steepest – as much as 40% – in the under-thirty category. This is the group that is most likely to use ride sharing apps.

Published on: July 28, 2020

In-Car Alcohol Detection Systems could Significantly Reduce Drunk Driving Accidents

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Vehicles that have in-car alcohol detection systems that prevent motorists from driving a car under the influence of alcohol could significantly help reduce the number of accidents caused by alcohol impaired drivers every year.

These results came from a new study conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The study was undertaken to determine how technology could help reduce the risks of motorists drinking and driving. Such motorists cause a significant number of auto accidents in the metro Atlanta region and across Georgia every year.

In fact, nationwide, approximately 30% of traffic accident deaths annually are the result of drunk driving. Every year, as many as a million people are arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.

Published on: August 15, 2016

Ignition Interlock Devices Reduce Traffic Accident Fatalities by 15%

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Ignition interlock devices that prevent drivers who have alcohol in their systems from operating a motor vehicle can help reduce the rate of traffic accident fatalities by as much as 15%.

Those are the results of a new study by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania. The study used crash data from 18 states that currently have laws requiring ignition interlock devices for all motorists convicted of DUI. The researchers found a 15% cut in the rate of traffic accident fatalities in states that require ignition interlock devices for anyone convicted of driving while impaired.

In states that had these universal laws, 915 lives were saved in accidents during the study period from 2007 to 2013. Other studies have also indicated that states with mandatory ignition interlock laws reduce the likelihood that a previous offender will be arrested for drunk driving.

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.