As a Bellevue auto accident lawyer working at a Kirkland personal injury law firm, I see a lot of victims suffering from personal injuries because they were involved in an alcohol-related auto accident. Drunk driving is a serious problem around the country, but drugged driving is something that we don’t often hear about in the news. Although federal laws prohibit the use of marijuana, one-third of the states have passed legislation that allows for the sale of medicinal marijuana. The difference between drunk and drugged driving auto accidents is that while fatalities related to alcohol-involved auto accidents have been slowly declining, accidents where drugs were the primary cause and alcohol was not involved are up 55% in the last 10 years.
With limited research it is nearly impossible for states to set a limit on the amount of the drug that would be allowed in a person’s body if they were to drive and at what level they are actually impaired. Researchers know that marijuana does impair a person’s ability to drive but currently 35 states have no formal standard and instead rely fully on the judgment of the police. While 13 states have adopted a zero-tolerance policy, not having any standard makes it pretty difficult for convictions to stand up in court.
As a Seattle wrongful death lawyer working with victims suffering from personal injuries or dealing with the wrongful death of a family member, I know that impaired driving, regardless of whether or not you were drinking or smoking marijuana, is dangerous and can lead to serious if not fatal auto accidents. Before you get behind the wheel impaired think about all the lives you are putting at risk.
Jason at premier law group is truly an outstanding individual. Our particular case was not something that their firm usually sees but they were more than willing to help us and give us all of the information they had available. I can't recommend them enough.