Drunk Driving Accidents in December

Posted on December 9, 2009 by Greenberg & Bederman

The holiday season is upon us, which means that we can expect all of the traditional trappings that go with it, both positive and negative. We can expect moments spent with friends and family; we can expect cold weather, and we can expect homes decked with bright lights and festive decorations. We can also expect crowded shopping malls, heavier than normal traffic and the majority of our population rushing around even more so than usual.

We can also attend the traditional round of holiday parties. Office parties, celebrations with friends and relatives, and parties at churches, social groups and charities are all a big part of the holiday season. The general sense of holiday festivities can encourage those who generally abstain from drinking alcohol to have a drink or two. And for those who make a habit out of drinking, the holiday season gives them every excuse to cut loose and drink even more.

This would simply be a matter of personal preference if it weren’t for the fact that we all have to share the roads with other drivers. And those of us who exercise personal responsibility and obey the law when we don’t drink and drive are not immune to the actions of those who don’t. This premise is true for all twelve months of the year, but it takes on a certain urgency during December. It is for this reason that the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has declared December National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month. According to the CDC, over 1.4 million drivers were arrested over a period of one year for driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and these were only the people who were caught. The CDC further claims that in that same year there were 159 million self reported instances of drunk driving, so the arrests only count for around 1% of the actual number of people who recklessly take to the roads after drinking and driving.

The numbers get particularly frightening in December, especially among the demographic of drivers between the ages of 21 to 24. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the numbers of fatal accidents between December 15th and January 1st involving alcohol impaired kids in their early twenties is staggering:

2003: 34% of fatal alcohol related traffic accidents 

2004: 37% of fatal alcohol related traffic accidents

2005: 36% of fatal alcohol related traffic accidents

2006: 38% of fatal alcohol related traffic accidents

2007: 35% of fatal alcohol related traffic accidents

In other words, if between the week before Christmas and New Years Eve there is a fatal traffic accident involving a drunk driver, there is a better than average chance that the driver will be between the ages of 21 to 24.

In our immediate vicinity, the numbers bear that out. In Washington, D.C. in 2007, the one driver in that age bracket who died in a traffic fatality had a blood alcohol content of .08 or higher, which is above the legal limit.

In Maryland, there were 108 traffic fatalities in that age bracket, and 50 of the drivers were at .08 or higher. That’s 46% of the fatalities.

And in Virginia, out of the 187 traffic fatalities involving drivers who were age 21-24, 70 of them (38%) were legally intoxicated.

If there is anything to be learned from all of this, it is that the standard feeling of invincibility that happens with the young is utterly misapplied when it comes to drinking and driving. And it can also be said that all of the advertisements and public service announcements warning against drunk driving apply to everyone, not just those who are in their thirties or above.

Drinking and driving is not only a crime. It is also complete and utter negligent behavior. It is not just an action where you put yourself at risk. Drunk drivers endanger the lives of everyone around them, be they drivers or motorcyclists or bicyclists or pedestrians. There is no plausible excuse for getting behind the wheel of a car after you have been drinking a substance that lowers your inhibitions and kills your reflexes.

At Greenberg and Bederman, we offer legal assistance for people in the Washington, D.C. area who have been injured in all sorts of traffic accidents, and that includes drunk driving. In our twenty five years of serving the injured of D.C. as a law firm, we have helped victims of car accidents and negligence receive the compensation that they deserved. If you or a loved one has been injured in Maryland, Virginia or Washington D.C, contact Greenberg and Bederman for a free drunk driving accident legal consultation.
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