Drunk drivers continue to plague our streets and 37% of all fatal auto accidents are the result of a drunk driver. Practicing Seattle auto accident law as a Kent personal injury attorney I have seen family’s torn apart
, young children orphaned and parents burying their children far too often. This year’s Drive Hammered Get Nailed campaign took some great strides in the battle against drunk driving.
Washington’s annual Drive Hammered Get Nailed campaign from November 25th through January 2nd ended in 3,577 arrests of drunk drivers. The Drive Hammered Get Nailed campaign increases patrols in order to catch drunk drivers before they end up in a severe auto accident. These increased patrols are made possible through a grant from the Washington State Traffic Safety Commission. This year’s campaign included participants from Bonny Lake, DuPont, Fircrest, Buckley, Fife, Lakewood, Puyallup, Orting, Gig Harbor, Milton, Sumner, Steilacoom, University Place and Tacoma along with the Washington State Patrol and Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.
While drunk driving laws have been getting gradually more strict over the years, drunk driving still continues to be a big problem in the United States. The statistics are frightening:
- 1 in 10 drivers at night are driving drunk
- 60% of fatal teen auto accidents involve alcohol
- 38,000 people died because of a drunk driver in 2008
- Drunk drivers have a significantly higher chance of being involved in an accident than getting caught drunk driving
- Most drunk drivers are driving over twice the legal limit
Premier Law Group has provided some information on how to avoid falling a victim to one of these serious drunk driving accidents in our resources section.