Three Percent of 2010 Fatal Truck Accidents Involved Alcohol
In conjunction with its annual nationwide anti-drunk-driving campaign, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has released its 2010 statistics on fatal crashes involving alcohol-impaired driving. NHTSA promotes its annual “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” event in conjunction with local law enforcement agencies, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), and the National Center for DWI Courts. More than 10,000 law enforcement agencies are expected to participate in this endeavor, many by significantly stepping up drunk driving patrols and enforcement between the end of the summer season and Labor Day weekend. NHTSA also will air a series of advertisements designed to warn alcohol-impaired individuals of the potential for arrest and other legal consequences if they attempt to drive. According to an article in The Trucker, a national trucking newspaper, three percent of drivers of large trucks involved in fatal accidents in 2010 had consumed alcohol prior to their accidents. Of that three percent, two percent of those drivers had a blood alcohol content of between .08 and .14. About half of those drivers had a blood alcohol content of .15 or greater. The legal limit for driving in all 50 states and in the District of Columbia is .08. These percentages are quite positive as far as these statistics go, as the percentage of intoxicated truck drivers involved in fatal accidents in 2010 was less than the percentages for any other major group of drivers, including passenger vehicles, light trucks, motorcycles, and buses. Furthermore, new NHTSA statistics show that 70 percent of fatal drunk driving accidents overall involved a driver with a blood alcohol content of almost twice the legal limit of .08. If, however, you are involved in a trucking accident that causes serious or fatal injuries, you will need assistance from a qualified New Braunfels personal injury attorney. With an experienced personal injury and car accident lawyer on your side, you will have the best chance of receiving a full and fair recovery in your personal injury case.
