Maryland Accidents & Traffic Lawyers

On average, nearly 90 deaths are caused due to automobile crashes and accidents in the US on a daily basis, with at least 30 involving drivers whose driving skills have been compromised by alcohol. This comes down to a death every 51 minutes due to alcohol-induced driving. The total expenditures and losses faced due to these accidents amount to almost $59 billion each year.

These alarming statistics can be controlled through taking highly effective safety measures so that such accidents can be prevented. This can be done through restricting and controlling alcohol-impaired drivers.

The Magnitude of the Issue

In the year 2013, over 10,000 people died due to accidents which involved alcohol impaired driving, and this made up for almost 31% of all accident and traffic related casualties in the entire country. A total of 1,149 deaths of children aged from 10-14 were caused in 2013, and 30% of these highlighted the same drunk driving issues in America.

In the year 2010, authorities arrested over 1.4 million drivers driving under the influence of substances, and this is only 1% of all the self-reported accidents, vehicle crimes, or traffic mishaps each year, which sits at a staggering 112 million. On the other hand, substances like narcotics and drugs amount for almost 18% of all the motor vehicle accidents and deaths that occur.

Exposure to Possibly Fatal Risks

The risk encompasses all demographics and brings them together under one fold, but there are certain groups of people with similarities who are faced with higher risks of a traffic accident. People who continually come under the line of fire in traffic accidents are:

Youngsters

At any level of BAC – blood alcohol concentration – adults have shown better control over their vehicles than young people, and the probability of a youngster getting into an accident while drunk is comparatively very high.

Motorcyclists

Out of all the motorbike accidents caused in 2013, 27% were alcohol or substance impaired with BAC levels over 0.08%. Nearly half of accidents that involve motorcyclists occur with people who are 40-44 years of age.

Drivers with Earlier Alcohol Impaired Convictions

The people who were involved in automobile crashes and were tested to have BACs above 0.08% had a six times higher likelihood of having a previous DWI infraction on their record.

Important Terminologies:

Ignition Interlocks:

These are devices that are installed within the automobiles of drivers with a history of drunk driving. They prevent any operation of the vehicle in case the BAC levels are higher than the specified amounts. When this is installed, and interlocking system will paralyze any driver with more than 0.04% of BAC by shutting down the car.

Sobriety Checkpoints:

These are traffic stops where government or authoritative officials test the level of alcohol impairment of drivers, and they have been used to effectively reduce the influence-related accidents by 9%.

There are many cases where having the right lawyer by your side can get you the compensation you deserve. If you or a family member have been a victim of an accident, contact Altmark, Rotter & Trock, LLP today at 410-783-9230.

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