In North Carolina and across the nation, drunk driving leads to car accidents, injuries and death. Drinking alcohol before getting behind the wheel of a car has been shown to make accidents more likely.
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 30 people are killed in the United States each day as the result of a vehicle accident that involved a driver that was under the influence of alcohol. The same data indicates that in 2012, 31 percent of all fatal traffic accidents involved at least one driver that was affected by alcohol consumption.
Some groups of people are more likely to be involved in an alcohol-related traffic accident when compared to other groups. For example, young people are significantly more likely be involved in a car wreck after consuming alcohol when compared to older drivers. This is especially true for young drivers between the ages of 21 and 24. Motorcyclists are also far more likely to be injured or killed in an alcohol-related accident than drivers of other vehicle types.
Car accidents are more likely to occur when a person chooses to consume alcohol and drive their car. If the impairment of another driver causes a wreck resulting in injury or death, an attorney may be able to help the plaintiff assemble a civil claim. Drinking and driving is against the law, and an attorney may be able to argue that the act of drunk driving constituted negligence on the part of the allegedly at-fault driver. If this is successful, a judge may decide to order that damages be awarded to the plaintiff.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Impaired Driving: Get the Facts“, November 18, 2014