Drunk Driving Statistics In Pennsylvania
The State of Pennsylvania has been very proactive in an effort to diminish the amount of drinking and driving accidents. There has been widespread saturation controls and incorporation of ongoing checkpoints to deter intoxicated driving and to get offenders off the road in real time.
However, even with these aggressive efforts on the part of law enforcement, the alarming statistic for 2014 is that 28% of all driving fatalities are the result of a drunk driver! That is almost a third of all traffic deaths. Think about it – and go one thought beyond to realize that this is a large number of deaths that could have been kept from happening, if only the driver refrained from getting behind the wheel to operate a motor vehicle in the compromised condition they were in.
333 individuals died from alcohol related crashes in 2014 – and that is almost one per day! Those are the fatalities. On an average day, 29 motor vehicle drinking related accidents occur.
74% of the drinking driver deaths were male!
72% of the alcohol involved crashes happened at night, and usually on the weekends.
87% of the fatalities were in the vehicle of the drunk driver.
72% of the deaths were the drunk drivers themselves.
A Deadly Combination In Pennsylvania
While less than 10% of all vehicle crashes involved drinking, drunk driving caused almost 30% of all road fatalities!
Between 21 and 25 years old – 43% of driving deaths in that age group are drunk drivers!
Saturday nights from 8:00pm to midnight has the highest rate of drunk driving related fatalities!
The promising news in the statistics for 2014 is that each year these drinking death numbers have been declining. But, we can all agree that even one is too much!
The Reality Of The Aftermath Of A Drunk Driving Accident
In short, many lives are ruined. The driver who was drinking and caused the crash is often the one seriously injured. If they survive the accident, they are often left with physical disabilities. Since most of the alcohol related incidents involve young drivers – the physical injuries can compromise their entire lifetime. The driver will also be in legal hot water. There are varying degrees of possible charges – but if you cause the death of another – you will be prosecuted for that crime. Even if no injuries result, the drinking driver will lose driving privileges, will have fines and legal fees, and major – possibly unaffordable – insurance rate hikes. Is this all worth that extra drink or two?
It gets even worse. The drunk driver who caused the accident will have to live with what they did for the remainder of their life. If you are responsible for taking away the life of another human being – another kid, a mother or family driving in another car – that is on your conscience forever! It will be a haunting memory that will never go away. And the place where you will have that memory might very well be in jail.
There are no do-overs!
The Accident Lawyer’s Role
As a personal injury attorney with decades of experience handling car accidents cases in the State of Pennsylvania – I know that I cannot erase any incident that has happened.
I often represent the victims of drunk driver related accidents and attempt to reach the best settlements and outcomes for them.
In representing the driver who was drunk, lawyers ensure that their case is handled properly and that they receive the fairness they are entitled to, as any alleged criminal is, in the eyes of the law.
That being said, ultimately I would prefer to never see another drinking related accident on any roads in PA.