Georgia DUI

Published on: February 19, 2010

DOT Proposes New Rules for Drug Testing

Atlanta accident lawyers will be pleased to know that the Department of Transportation has posted a Notice of Proposed Rule Making, which deals with stricter testing for drug use.

The NPRM proposes a number of measures that are designed to prevent commercial motor vehicle drivers abusing drugs from slipping through the cracks.The NPRM proposes initial testing for 6-acetylmorphines, and lowering the cut off for cocaine and amphetamines. The idea is to align testing standards with the testing standards of Health and Human services. According to the HHS, such testing would help identify approximately 10% of drug users in the commercial driver population, who currently remain unidentified.

Truck drivers are at a higher risk of amphetamine abuse. These drugs are used to induce alertness, helping truckers stay awake for longer periods of time. Use of stimulants like methamphetamines can have serious side effects. The person may begin to feel extremely drowsy as the drug’s effects begin to wear off, with serious consequences. Employers can now identify drivers who had been using these drugs, but had remained unidentified because of the higher cut off points.

Published on: February 17, 2010

Police Believe Drunk Driving Cause of DeKalb County Accident

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Police Believe Drunk Driving Was Cause of DeKalb County Accident

Police believe drunk driving was a possible factor in a serious multiple vehicle accident on I-85 over the weekend. The accident, which injured 9 people, involved a wrong way driver.

According to police, a Chevy Blazer was traveling southbound in the northbound HOV lane. At about 3 am, the Blazer crashed into a Ford Explorer and a Buick. Four cars were involved in the accident, and 9 people were injured, including the driver who was driving the wrong way. He continues to remain in the hospital, along with three of the injured victims.

Published on: June 20, 2009

Fourth of July Crackdown to Prevent Drunk Driving Accidents in Georgia Begins Tonight

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Every year, the Georgia State Patrol increases patrolling and enforcement efforts around the Fourth of July to minimize the number of car accidents around the holiday. This year’s crackdown on drunk driving begins tonight.

The campaign Operation Zero Tolerance kicks off at 9 pm tonight, and will last through the fifth of July. It will include the participation of more than 500 police agencies in Georgia, all taking part in the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety “100 Days of Summer HEAT” initiative. Enforcement officers will be conducting additional patrols across Georgia highways, and will be cracking down especially hard on intoxicated motorists. The 100 Days of Summer HEAT initiative will run through the Labor Day weekend. The initiative includes crackdowns targeting drunk drivers, speeders, as well as motorists violating seatbelt and child safety seat laws.

Every year, we celebrate the declaration of our independence with great fanfare. We burst fireworks, and host barbecues. Unfortunately, the Fourth of July is also the single deadliest day of the year, with the maximum number of accidents occurring on this day. Between 1986 and 2002, an average of 161 people died in automobile accidents on Fourth of July.

Published on: June 13, 2009

Gwinnett County Drunk Driver Kills Woman in Hit and Run Accident

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

A drunk driving accident in Gwinnett has shocked a Lawrenceville Community, and sparked outrage among residents who are now calling for efforts to control the dangers from speeding and drunk motorists.

On Sunday night, 25-year-old Sabrina Stanek was at home with her two children when she noticed a speeding driver zooming up and down the street. Stanek walked up the curb in front of her house to stop the driver. As she stood near the curb, the drunk driver Constantine Toncz lost control of his truck, and struck the woman. Stanek was crushed between Toncz’s truck and another truck parked off the street. She died from injuries caused by the accident. Stanek was a single mother who had two children, aged 4 and 6.

Toncz, a construction worker from Romania was arrested later, and charged with vehicular homicide. After hitting Sabrina, Toncz didn’t stick around to survey the damage. He simply got out of his car, and walked to a relative’s house on the same street.