Attorney
One of our blogs earlier this week discussed “buzzed driving” and .08. However, there is a class of drivers that safety experts refer to as “hardcore” drunk drivers. These are the drivers with a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .15 or greater. What separates these drivers from the rest is that they usually show no signs of changing their behavior despite numerous arrests and convictions for drunken driving. Furthermore, efforts at rehabilitation or treatment are futile with a hardcore drunk driver.
The latest number from the National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration (NHTSA) is that 70 percent of drivers killed in 2009 in an alcohol-related accident had a BAC over .15. More alarming is that number has stayed the same for about 10 years, according to NHTSA. In addition, 3 percent of drivers involved in a fatal car crash related to alcohol had a prior DWI conviction in the previous three years.
A BAC of .15 is high, but even higher is the median BAC, which is .17, over two times the legal limit in most states. Just how dangerous is a .15 BAC? When compared to a driver with no alcohol in his or her body, a .15 driver is 380 times more likely to die or kill someone else in a car crash.
Enjoy your Super Bowl party this weekend – but please, enjoy yourself responsibly and keep yourself and everyone else on the road safe. Call our office today to learn more.
Koonz, McKenney, Johnson & DePaolis L.L.P.
Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia Injury Attorneys
Approved by attorney Roger Johnson