Getting drugged drivers off the road

We all know that drunk drivers are a problem on Virginia roads, but what about drugged drivers?  These are the men and women who take perfectly legal prescription drugs that affect their ability to drive a car or truck and then they get behind the wheel anyway.  You may not realize it, but drugged drivers are such a big issue that police officers are being trained to spot them on the roads before they cause auto accidents and injure innocent people.

While illegal drugs that affect driving ability are also a problem, law enforcement officers are seeing more and more drivers on the road while under the influence of legal medications.  People either fail to read the warning labels on their prescriptions that state they should not drive while taking the drug or they simply discard the warning.  Many common drugs like the popular sleep aid Ambien are part of the problem, as people are so accustomed to taking them that they don’t think twice before getting behind the wheel.

However, it won’t be easy to get drugged drivers off the road.  There are several challenges, including:

• A lack of law enforcement officers trained to recognize drugged drivers
• No clear legal limit for drugged driving, similar to the BAC limit for drunk drivers
• No legal tests available for traffic enforcement officers to quickly test drivers to determine if they’re under the influence of a legal or illegal drug

If you suspect that you’ve been the victim of a drugged driver, then you should speak with an attorney.  Contact the experienced Virginia auto accident attorneys Dulaney, Lauer & Thomas, LLP at (800) 741-1012 for Culpeper or (888) 907-2631 for Warrenton today.

What are drunk drivers doing when they cause an accident?

Drunk drivers are a menace on Virginia roads, taking innocent lives and injuries thousands of Virginians every year.  Alcohol-related crashes accounted for 7.6 percent of all crashes in Virginia last year, killing 354 people and hurting 7,000.

The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) publishes their Virginia Traffic Crash Facts every year, and the data for 2008 includes information on what drunk driver’s cars were doing when they caused an accident.

What were drunk driver’s cars doing when they crashed?

1. Going straight: 4,159 vehicles (40.6%)
2. Running of the road: 3,927 (38.4%)
3. Turning left: 616 (6.0%)
4. Turning right: 399 (3.9%)
5. Other: 370 (3.6%)
6. Changing lanes: 244 (2.4%)
7. Slowing or stopping: 151 (1.5%)
8. Stopped in traffic lanes: 122 (1.2%)
9. Backing up: 119 (1.2%)
10. Passing another vehicle: 66 (0.6%)
11. Making a U-turn: 59 (0.6%)

Regardless of how an accident happens, drivers who choose to get behind the wheel after having too much to drink deserve to face justice for their actions.  No innocent victim should be hurt or killed because another person made a negligent decision.

Read more about drunk drivers, the laws that try to control them, and what Virginia is doing to curb DUI accidents in our law library.

Are you ready for Checkpoint Strikeforce?

Checkpoint Strikeforce is a multi-state law-enforcement initiative to get drunk drivers off the road.  Last year, police in Delaware, Washington D.C., Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia stopped over 400,000 drivers at sobriety checkpoints.

Checkpoint Strikeforce spreads its message with high-visibility sobriety checkpoints combined with paid advertising.  The goal is to educate the public about the dangers of drinking and driving – and the consequences.

Every year this initiative takes place around Labor Day.  This year Checkpoint Strikeforce is running from August 21 through Labor Day.

Has the program been successful?  Police like sobriety checkpoints because they stop impaired drivers and get them off the road before they can hurt themselves or somebody else.  Many states use a “zero-tolerance” approach and arrest all drivers found with a BAC above the legal limit of 0.08.

Checkpoints work because not only are people caught when they drink and drive, but they are also deterred from getting behind the wheel if they know that there’s a chance they’ll be stopped.  According to the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety, alcohol-related traffic deaths can be cut down by up to 20 percent with sobriety checkpoints.

As an added bonus, these checkpoints can also nab other law-breakers, including wanted felons and fugitives, drivers with suspended licenses, and people not using restraints (including car seats) correctly.

Looking forward to your Superbowl party? Don't become a dangerous driver!

What do you think of when you imagine a Superbowl party?  A giant high-definition TV, a room full of your best friends, mountains of delicious snacks, and perhaps a whole lot of beer.  Toasting wins and losses during football’s fantastic season finale is an annual event for many people, but drinking and driving should never be a part of the festivities.  Nobody wants to cap off a day of fun and celebration with a serious auto accident or a DUI conviction.

Accidents, death, and jail are usually pretty far from everyone’s mind, but this is a good time to remind partygoers that Superbowl Sunday is one of the deadliest days of the year.  Nationwide, 48% of traffic fatalities on this fateful day are DUI related.

So the message is clear – don’t drink and drive.  Unfortunately it’s a message we hear so often that it is easy to ignore, but major events like the Superbowl are an important time to remind area residents that alcohol and automobiles don’t mix.  This year, Culpeper police are trying to do just that.

Local police are using the slogan, “real fans don’t let fans drive drunk” to encourage people to look out not only for themselves, but for their friends as well.  In addition, Culpeper Town Police want to remind fans that driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs can result in jail, a loss of driving privileges, and hefty fines.

So if you’re hosting or attending a Superbowl party this year, keep these hints in mind:

• Designate a sober driver
• If you don’t have a designated driver, ask a sober friend to drive you home
• If you can’t get a sober ride home, stay at the party until you sober up – better yet, spend the night if you can.
• Enjoy and provide non-alcoholic beverages

If you’re unfortunate enough to be involved in an accident with a drunk driver, then you should speak with an attorney.  Contact the experienced Virginia auto accident attorneys Dulaney, Lauer & Thomas, LLP at (800) 741-1012 for Culpeper or (888) 907-2631 for Warrenton today.

Back road drunks – beware!

There’s a little secret among drivers who drink – if you’ve had a few too many, make sure you take as many back roads home as possible.  After all, everyone knows that the police only set up sobriety checkpoints on major roadways – they rarely if ever police rural roads and back streets.

Well, that little secret isn’t such a secret.  Law enforcement officials have long known that intoxicated drivers try to sneak around on rural roads to avoid being caught, but now they’re doing something about it.  The 2008 Checkpoint Strikeforce campaign just kicked off, and this year will focus on policing those very rural and back roads that are so appealing to drunk drivers.

Since over half of all traffic fatalities occur on rural roads, Governor Tim Kaine and law enforcement officials hope that this latest crackdown will save lives and keep intoxicated drivers off the road.  Virginians can expect to find at least one sobriety checkpoint or saturation patrol each week throughout each region for the remainder of 2008.

You can read more about Checkpoint Strikeforce and other Virginia DUI resources at the state’s “Smart, Safe, and Sober” website and in our law library article, “Virginia to Crack Down on Drunk Driving”.

The Effect of Minimum Legal Drinking Age Laws and Drunk Driving Accidents

The National Minimum Drinking Age Act established the minimum legal drinking age at 21.  Before the law was signed in 1984, the minimum legal drinking age ranged from 18 to 21 among the states.  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has reported that laws relating to the minimum legal drinking age have contributed to saving more than 900 lives each year. 

Before the National Minimum Drinking Age Act was created, each state had its own law.  In some states, the drinking age was set to 18 or 19, while other states set the minimum age to 21.  Researchers were able to easily identify the impact that the various minimum drinking ages had on accidents.  For example, in the 1970s and 1980s, the number of drunk driving accidents increased dramatically in states that had lower minimum age requirements.  Research has also shown that from 1982 to 1998, the number of alcohol-related crashes has declined by 59 percent. 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has stated that the minimum legal drinking age has played a major role in reducing youth drinking and driving.  These laws seem to cut down on youth drinking and encourage young adults to separate drinking from driving.  However, not everyone agrees with this logic.

There have been many critics of minimum legal drinking age laws over the years.  Some of the criticisms have included the following arguments:

• “Nineteen- and twenty-year-olds are drinking anyway. If we legalize it, at least they’ll be drinking in a controlled setting.”
• “Making it illegal to drink until 21 just increases the desire for the ‘forbidden fruit’. When teens turn 21, they’ll drink even more.”
• “The Federal Government is exerting too much authority over the States. The Federal law encouraging States to set the legal drinking age at 21, by withholding highway funds from States that do not do so, is just one example of this.”

Most research has shown these arguments to be unfounded.  If you or someone you love has been injured in a drunk driving accident, contact Dulaney, Lauer & Thomas, LLP at 888-907-2631 for our Warrenton office or 800-741-1012 for our Culpeper office.  We know how devastating these accidents can be and we will do everything possible to make sure you receive the compensation you deserve.

The article, Drunk Driving Accidents and Minimum Legal Drinking Age, has more information on this subject.