California leading a list of states with the most number of drunk driving fatalities put out by Quote Wizard, an insurance comparison website. According to a news report, Quote Wizard analyzed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s data to come up with these results. The research shows California saw an increase of 13.5% in drunk driving fatalities from 2000 to 2017, ranking as the fourth largest rate increase in the country and only one of six states to see such an increase.
DUI Enforcement in California
Nationwide, there was an 18 percent drop between 2000 and 2017. The rest of the country seems to have responded well to public safety announcements or PSAs, increased enforcements on the roads and to harsher legal penalties for DUI offenders. WalletHub, a personal finance website, looked at DUI enforcement rules in each of the 50 states and California was ranked 21st in its list of states with the strictest DUI laws.
According to the California Highway Patrol, in 2018, there were more than 66,000 DUI arrests, which is a 4% increase from the previous year. In the state of California, for 2018, there were 142 DUI checkpoints statewide. DUIs also come with legal consequences in California. According to AAA, a person who is convicted of a DUI is looking at expenses adding up to at least $15,000. Also, a DUI stays on an individual’s record for 10 years. Needless to say, insurance rates take a big hit and could go up as much as three times after a DUI. In some cases, your insurance company might even drop coverage.
Dangers of Driving While Intoxicated
Drinking and driving significantly affect a person’s ability to react to situations and make the right judgments. Alcohol plays a huge role in clouding one’s judgment. Alcohol can impair your judgment to the point that you make bad decisions that you would not otherwise make. Having alcohol in your system will also cause your body to react more slowly to certain situations. Since your reaction time is slowed, there is the possibility of an accident because you may not be able to respond to something happening as quickly as you would if you were sober.
If you or a loved one has been injured by a DUI driver, please remember that you have legal rights and options. You may potentially be able to file a personal injury lawsuit against the driver, his or her employer, and other parties involved. If you have lost a loved one in a DUI crash, you may be able to file a wrongful death lawsuit seeking damages as well. An experienced California DUI victims’ lawyer will be able to help you seek and obtain maximum compensation for your losses.
Source: https://www.keyt.com/news/san-luis-obispo-county/california-among-6-states-seeing-increase-of-dui-deaths-in-the-last-decade-1/1111681844
