Posts tagged "drunken driving"

The California Office of Traffic Safety released some concerning news last week, concluding that even more Californians drive while taking dangerous drugs than drive drunk. According to the results from a statewide voluntary survey of weekend drivers, 14 percent of participants tested positive for various illegal and prescription substances.

These results have serious consequences for California motorists and pedestrians. Drunk driving is a leading cause of fatal crashes in the state and this new survey suggests that drugs are just as much of a problem.

Although wrong-way crashes are thankfully rare, they often involve alcohol and are usually extremely dangerous when they do occur. Both of those characteristics were present in a California crash that killed two people.

The alleged drunk driving accident happened shortly after 1:00 a.m. on Tuesday. A 68-year-old man drove a Ford F-150 onto Highway 152 near San Jose. He headed down the highway and straight into oncoming traffic. The truck smashed head-on into another car that had been driving in the right direction.

New research concludes that almost half of convicted drunk drivers may have ongoing drinking problems. A high rate of drug and alcohol dependency among convicted drunk drivers suggests that many are likely to pose a serious risk in the future.

The study looked at nearly 700 convicted drunk drivers and lifetime alcohol habits. Nearly half of the surveyed convicts said that they had long-term "struggles" with alcohol and drugs. 25 percent reported that they returned to dangerous drinking habits after a period of trying to drink less.

The month of June is National Safety Month. The National Safety Council focuses attention during the third week of June on safe driving. The NSC aims to bring awareness during this week around things people can do to prevent car accidents.

One simple thing that people can do to prevent car and pedestrian accidents is to pledge to put away cell phones while driving. According to estimates by the NSC, a full quarter of all car accidents involve using mobile phones while driving. Distracted drivers can easily cause fatal crashes by taking their eyes off the wheel to text or by not paying as close attention while talking on a handheld cell phone. Motorcyclists, bicyclists and pedestrians are particularly vulnerable to distracted drivers.

As discussed on our criminal defense blog, parents may be held responsible for the drinking done by teens on their property, even if no one gets hurt. If a teen drinking with or without an adult's knowledge but under the adult's roof gets in a DUI accident, the adult can potentially be held responsible for any injuries. 

A California dad was recently in the news complaining about social host laws that resulted in 44 misdemeanor charges being brought against him for allegedly contributing to the delinquency of minors. He is also facing up to 44 $2,500 fines that come with each charge.

The dad allowed his teen to have a party at his house, but specifically prohibited alcohol from being consumed by the partygoers. The dad said that he and his wife were upstairs during the party and went to check on the kids twice. Police eventually came over because they had been alerted to the fact that underage teens may be drinking alcohol at the house. They found that the teens were drinking and the dad was arrested.

The Transportation Secretary of the U.S., Ray LaHood, wants the number of drunk driving car accidents to continue to decrease this year. The holiday season is historically a time of increased drunk driver-caused car accidents and the DOT has launched a nationwide campaign to cut down on drunk driving.

The message of the campaign is "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over." LaHood wants people to get the message that if they make the choice to drive drunk, they will get caught. The effort will be a coordinated one through and between local law enforcement agencies across the U.S.

The 29-year-old driver, who authorities say was responsible for a multiple-vehicle fatal accident, was arrested as soon as he was released from a San Jose trauma center. California Highway Patrol Officers arrested the man on charges of felony driving under the influence and felony vehicular manslaughter.

The accident occurred in the early morning hours, just before five o'clock, on Sunday morning north of Salinas. The crash involved three cars, one of which burst into flames after the collision. A 43-year-old Salinas man was killed in the crash.

Distracted driving, using the phone while driving, texting while driving and drunken driving cause a disproportionate share of car accidents in and around San Jose. Although new laws and law enforcement efforts have had some effect in reducing these dangerous driving habits, accidents continue to happen because of drunken and distracted driving.

One organization has responded to a recent spike in fatal accidents caused by drinking and driving with an educational outreach program. In late June, the Almaden Valley based organization known as Almaden Cares held an event at which teen drivers participated in a driving simulation intended to replicate the effects of driving while intoxicated or distracted.