DUI prevention

Published on: October 23, 2011

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

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: 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.

Published on: February 3, 2011

Future Atlanta Cars May Come Equipped with Sensors to Prevent DUI Accidents

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

This could be the future of ignition interlock devices in Atlanta.Soon, Atlanta drunk driving accident lawyers may come across cars equipped with breath and touch sensors that automatically detect the blood-alcohol level on a motorist, and prevent the car from starting if his blood alcohol level is at or above the legally allowed .08% limit. Such devices will go a long way in preventing DUI accidents. Last week, representatives of the Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration attended the demonstration of an alcohol detection prototype in Massachusetts.

The demonstration involved a young woman who drank two alcoholic beverages. The beverages were consumed with cheese and crackers, in an attempt to replicate the kind of drinking that takes place in a social setting. The woman then demonstrated by breath and touch how the device can detect blood alcohol levels. Transportation Sec. LaHood, who attended the demonstration, was sufficiently impressed with the device, and called it a new arrow in the quiver of automotive safety.

At the very outset, the Transportation Secretary admitted that there were no plans to make a device like this mandatory in all vehicles. In fact, a device like this will not be commercially available for the next eight years at least. However, as Atlanta drunk driving accident lawyers, we suspect that when insurance companies find lower drunk driving accident rates among motorists who have such sensors in their vehicles, they will offer low premiums for motorists who choose to have the sensors installed in their car.

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: July 26, 2010

Drunk Driving Accidents Affected by Parenting Style

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

We have always believed that parents play a major role to play in preventing alcohol-related car crashes among teenagers.That line of thinking doesn’t come merely because we are Atlanta car accident attorneys, but also because we’re parents ourselves.That is also why we also encourage parents to talk about the dangers of alcohol excesses with their children.

A study published last month shows that a combination of being involved in your child’s life and what he or she is up to, as well as a solid base of support and affection, can help reduce a vast number of problems associated with teenage drinking.Obviously, one of those problems would be driving under the influence.Teen motorists continue to be one of the most high risk groups for intoxicated driving.Much of this has to do with peer pressure.Parents can do much to negate the harmful effect of peer pressure by providing a warm, stable family environment, and also keeping track of what the child is doing outside the home.

The study published in the July issue of Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs surveyed about 5,000 kids about their relationship with their parents.The key components of the survey were

Published on: January 24, 2010

DUI Accident Rates May Be Affected by Higher Pricing

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Could Making Alcohol Pricier Help Lower DUI Accident Rates?

A new study provides some evidence that increasing taxes on alcohol and making it more expensive, could help minimize the incidence of dangerous alcohol-related leaders, including drunk driving. In fact, the study found that not only did such dangerous behaviors decrease when alcohol became more expensive, but it also reduced drunk driving accident, injury and fatality rates.

The review was conducted by the Task Force on Community Preventive Services, which consists of public-health experts appointed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The review included a total of 72 studies worldwide, and in nearly all of the 72 studies, researchers found an inverse relationship between the cost of alcohol and the indices of dangerous alcohol-related excesses, including binge drinking and drunk driving. The review included studies of underage drinkers, and these studies also showed that when alcohol becomes more expensive, it lowers rates of underage drinking. The results seem to be consistent among all kinds of liquor, from wine to beer, and also across time periods and countries.

Published on: January 5, 2010

New iPhone App to Prevent Drunk Driving

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Atlanta drunk driving accident lawyers and auto safety advocates will be making note of a new free iTunes app that allows partiers to determine their intoxication level, minimizing the risk that they will get behind the wheel in an intoxicated state.

The app, called R-U-Buzzed was developed by the Colorado Department of Transportation at a cost of $8,000. It was meant to be another step in the state’s fight against drunk driving, and was released in time for New Year’s, which happens to be the day with the highest number of drunk driving accident deaths in the US. The app is free to download, and allows a user to input his gender, weight, number of drinks consumed and other details to come up with a BAC number. The number is accompanied by messages denoting whether it is safe for the user to drive. The “don’t drive” message is coded in red, and advises the user to get a designated driver.

The app isn’t a definitive measure of a person’s BAC level, and doesn’t claim to be so. There are plenty of other factors that can impact a person’s intoxication level, including the kind of prescription drugs he is on, and the kind of food he has been eating. Besides, R-U-Buzzed has its critics in those who believe that it could turn into a drinking game, with users drinking copiously to test their BAC levels. The strongest criticism comes from those who believe that anything less than a strong and strict “never drink and drive” message is bound to fail.

Published on: December 14, 2009

Georgia’s Campaign Against Drunk Driving Lowers Accident Rates

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

States like Georgia, that conduct aggressive enforcement activities against drunk driving, are more likely to see a dramatic drop in accident fatality rates. That’s according to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, who launched the annual national crackdown on drunk driving over the holiday season.

Across the country, including in Georgia, law enforcement efforts will be stepped up to keep intoxicated motorists off the road. Each state has its own version of the annual crackdown, and this typically includes sobriety checkpoints and concentrated drunk driving patrols. The launch of the annual crackdown coincides with an announcement by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, that drunk driving accident fatalities nationwide dropped by 7 percent in 2008 compared to 2007. In Georgia, 416 people died in drunk driving crashes in 2008, compared to 445 in 2007. That was a decrease of 5 percent. This has been largely due to the effort of our law enforcement personnel, and the concentrated patrols mounted during alcohol-heavy holidays, like New Years.

The Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety’s campaign “Operation Zero Tolerance” will kick off later this month around the state. The point of having campaigns like this around the holiday season, isn’t to round up partiers and throw them in the slammer for a night, as some drunk drivers like to believe. The campaign is meant to act as a deterrent for drunk drivers. Those who drink at a venue must know that they must either call a cab, get a friend to drop them home, take public transport or sleep it off at the venue. If they decide to drive home under the influence, there is a very high likelihood they will be caught and arrested.

Published on: May 21, 2009

Preventing Drunk Driving Accidents in Athens

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Apart from Atlanta, its Athens with its thumping nightlife scene that has the most number of DUI schools in Georgia, with a total of four DUI schools here. The Athens Clarke County Police Department and the University Police Department have been consistently cracking down on drunk drivers across Athens. Last year 207 people were arrested for drunk driving. There is also a considerably larger haul during weekends, when students from the University of Georgia step out, as well as on holidays. This St Patrick’s Day for instance, Athens police checked more than 700 vehicles, and arrested 63 people for drunk driving.

In most cases, these people have to take a course at a DUI school. The program lasts for 20 hours and costs $280. A student who finds himself in a DUI class after being arrested for drunk driving can expect to learn ways to prevent him or her from committing such offences again.

Besides DUI schools, Athens also has other options that prevent drunk motorists from being on the road. Local transportation services will for a fee, send a designated driver to take partiers home. All revelers have to do is call the service, and a designated driver arrives on a collapsible scooter that can be folded later, and placed into the car truck. A service like this ensures that revelers can all get intoxicated, without having to worry about which one of them has to stay sober to drive the rest home. Most calls for these transportation services come, not surprisingly, from downtown Athens, where the buzzing nightlife means that more numbers of people are not in a position to drive themselves home.