Drunk Driver Accidents

According to Centers for Decease Control and Prevention, Department of Transportation, and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in just one calendar year 9,967 people were killed in alcohol-related driving crashes. That is thirty-one percent of all traffic-related deaths, which is almost one-third of all traffic-related deaths, in the United States are alcohol-related. To put another way, 28 people in the United States die every day in an alcohol-related car crash.

Similarly, driving under the influence of marijuana has been steadily increasing. Some studies have shown that up to 13% of nighttime and weekend drivers have marijuana in their system.

Law enforcement is doing everything that they can to get intoxicated drivers and drivers driving under the influence of marijuana off the streets. Again in one year alone, 1.1 million drivers were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or a narcotic.

These drunk drivers that cause collision, injuries and sometimes death of innocent people often face serious criminal charges. Criminal courts also may award restitution to the injured individual or the family of the deceased victim.

However, a civil lawsuit is sometimes the only way to recover from the drunk driver for treatment for an injury, lost wages, or damage to your car. Your Sacramento auto accident lawyer will help you determine whether you need to file a lawsuit or it may be handled in another way that will avoid litigation.

Your attorney will also help you determine how much time you have before you will claim is waived. You will need a Sacramento auto accident lawyer to help you determine your rights, and the best way to recover everything that you are entitled to.

The Serious Problem of Drowsy Driving

California residents know that in this busy age, people often complain of not having enough time in the day to complete what they need to do, and one thing that often gets sacrificed is sleep. This, however, can turn very dangerous when combined with driving, as recent statistics reveal.

During the ‘Asleep at the Wheel” forum during National Drowsy Driving Prevention Week, NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind shared alarming numbers. According to the numbers shared, between 2001 and 2012, fatigue played a role in 39.5 percent of all major highway investigations conducted by the National Transportation Safety Board. Additionally, fatigue was identified as a contributing factor in 20 percent of all of the NTSB’s major investigations. Rosekind estimates that between 5,000 and 7,000 people lose their lives in car accidents due to drowsy driving each year.

These statistics are also supported by a recent AAA study. In the study, 43 percent of all respondents admitted to having fallen asleep at the wheel at least once. The study revealed that while this is a risk taken by drivers at all age brackets, with about 31.5 percent of drivers admitting to driving while being sleep-deprived within the previous month, drivers between the ages of 19 and 24 seem to have a higher risk of driving while fatigued, with 39.6 percent of these drivers admitting to drowsy driving within the last month.

Drowsy driving can lead to serious accidents, and injured victims often face long recovery periods. A personal injury attorney can often be of assistance in seeking compensation from the negligent driver for medical expenses, lost wages, and other applicable damages.

Distracted Driving: The Laws Used Here in California

Why anyone would intentionally look away from the road while they are operating a powerful, fast-moving vehicle to check a text message is beyond us, but it happens all the time. Maybe that says more about our obsession with cellphones and other mobile devices than it does about the skills and abilities of drivers, but the two are inextricably connected.

Without getting into a philosophical discussion on this topic, one thing is clear: distracted driving is a problem. States are passing laws and police officers are performing crackdowns, and yet the problem persists. For example, in 2013, there were 3,154 people who died in motor vehicle accidents that involved a distracted driver. Another 424,000 people were injured in those wrecks.

This is just unacceptable, and even though California has passed many laws to address the problem, there are still plenty of distracted driving accidents in the state. So what are those laws that California has passed?

California bans the use of handheld devices for all drivers of all ages. The state also forbids bus drivers and novice drivers (under the age of 18) from using cellphones (even if a hands-free device is utilized). Additionally, California does not allow any driver to text.

Tickets for these offenses can be very expensive, but they pale in comparison to a personal injury lawsuit that could be filed by a victim of a distracted driving accident. If you have been injured in such a wreck, you should consider legal action. A lawsuit could provide you with the compensation you need to get through the recovery process.

Source: Distraction.gov, “State Laws,” Accessed Sept. 16, 2015

Speak with Our Sacramento Auto Accident Lawyer Regarding Your Automobile Accident Injuries

Our accident lawyers in Sacramento have the resources and experience to provide legal advice to avoid car accidents as a bicyclist but can also provide the legal actions to get you the compensation you deserve if you have been injured. Call The Weinberger Law Firm at (916) 357-6767 or send us an email.