Illinois (PRWEB) August 18, 2012
Illinois car accident attorney Christopher Dysart of the Dysart Law Firm, P.C. (http://www.dysart-law.com) joins the Illinois Department of Transportation, the Illinois State Police and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in reminding drivers to Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over. This campaign, which NHTSA said is being supported by more than 10,000 police departments and law enforcement agencies across the country, begins on August 17, 2012 and continues through the end of the Labor Day Weekend.
Attorney Dysart, a former federal prosecutor and now a lawyer representing drunk driving accident victims and their families, said the number of people seriously injured and killed in our country each year from drunk driving is staggering. We must do all we can to keep drunk drivers off the road. Our firm joins law enforcement in reminding drivers to stay sober.
Mr. Dysart further noted that drunk drivers can be charged criminally, and also held accountable in civil court and made to pay for the damages they cause, as well as punitive damages. Bars and restaurants that serve intoxicated patrons can also be liable for the damages that result from their wrongful actions.
Drunk driving appears to be a significant concern throughout Illinois, including metropolitan areas such as Alton, Granite City, Edwardsville, Wood River, Roxana, Belleville, East St. Louis, Collinsville, Rockford, Springfield, and Peoria. College towns, such as Champaign-Urbana, have also experienced their share of drunk driving fatalities. Drunk driving is also a concern on Illinois highways, as the high rate of speed involved will usually increase the probability of a drunk driving accident resulting in a fatality.
According to data from the Illinois Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the midnight to 3 a.m. timeframe is the deadliest time on Illinois roadways. The data also shows this time of day has the highest percentage of alcohol involvement and the lowest seat belt usage rate. NHTSA data for the year 2010 shows that approximately 70% of drunken driving deaths involved a driver with a BAC (blood alcohol content) of more than .15, and that the most frequently recorded BAC was .18, which is twice the legal limit in many states.
During 2010, this research shows that there were 10,228 alcohol-impaired fatalities, or an average of one death every 51 minutes. As part of the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign, The Dysart Law Firm offers the following suggestions: