Drunk driving is both irresponsible and selfish. It often leads to otherwise preventable accidents. Drunk driving accidents also increase car insurance rates for everyone and drain more than $44 billion from our economy each year, according to the CDC. Unfortunately, people continue to get behind the wheel after drinking every day, placing themselves and everyone else on the road in serious danger.
What Percentage of Car Accidents Are Caused by Drunk Drivers?
According to statistics published by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC):
- Twenty-nine people are killed every day in the United States due to crashes involving a drunk driver, which is roughly equivalent to one death every 50 minutes.
- In a single recent year, 10,497 alcohol-related crash deaths accounted for approximately 28 percent of all traffic deaths in the country.
- Also that year, 17 percent of traffic deaths among children under the age of 15 involved drunk drivers.
Statistics on Drunk Driving and Car Crashes in Tennessee
Data released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reveal the following information about drunk driving accidents in Tennessee:
- In just one year, 1,135 traffic fatalities occurred in Tennessee, 290 of which involved a drunk driver. This means drunk driving accidents accounted for 26 percent of Tennessee traffic fatalities that year.
- Out of all states, Tennessee had the second-largest increase in drunk driving fatalities in a recent two-year period, with 47 additional fatalities, representing a staggering 19.3 percent increase.
Liability for Tennessee Drunk Driving Accident Injuries
If a drunk driver injured you in a Tennessee traffic accident, you might be considering your options for recovering financial compensation for the crash and your injuries. The facts likely support your claim, but it’s important to understand that civil and criminal liability for drunk driving is two separate things.
This means that even if the drunk driver were convicted of a DUI, they wouldn’t be automatically responsible for the financial cost of your injuries. Likewise, a drunk driver could still be held liable for a crash in civil court even if the driver was never found guilty on criminal charges.
To seek compensation, you’ll need to demonstrate the drunk driver should be held liable in an insurance claim or personal injury lawsuit. An attorney can help you determine your eligibility and demand the money you need to recover.
Drunk Driving as a Factor in Traffic Accidents
Alcohol contributes to traffic accidents because it reduces the driver’s ability to perform essential functions such as coordination, thinking clearly, reasoning, and reacting swiftly. A person’s level of impairment increases the more they drink, which is why legal limits on drivers’ blood alcohol levels were established.
Most states, including Tennessee, have made it illegal to operate a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) exceeding 0.08 percent. That’s because the risk of a crash increases at an exponential rate beyond this threshold.
Get Help Recovering Compensation After an Accident Caused by Drunk Driving
If you were injured in a Tennessee car crash caused by a drunk driver, you need an experienced car accident attorney to help you seek the money you need and deserve. Contact the car accident lawyers at The Terry Law Firm today to discuss the details of your claim in a free initial case review.
