Personal Injury Blog

 

DUI_Accidents_in_Hernando_County.jpgDrunk driving is no doubt a horrible epidemic. Too many people have lost their lives due to drunk drivers--younger and older alike.

Other alternatives exist to discourage people from driving while intoxicated, including AAA’s free Tow-To-Go service during the holidays, and even Uber as it’s sprouted up around cities all over the country.

A story from 10 News outlined some great steps Hernando County sheriffs are taking to crack down on drunk driving. The question is: has it helped? We are going to explore some statistics in this blog that help paint the picture of safer alternatives than drunk driving.

DUI Accidents in Hernando County

10 News’s story interviewed Sgt. Scott Lamia of Hernando County, who says he’s used social media and played off of the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” ads to enforce consequences for drunk driving.

Also, “last year in his county, drunk driving crashes were down by 20 percent compared to the year before.” Now whether Uber contributed or not is yet to be seen, but we do know that there were 3 moves to improve and compound upon the efforts to continue reducing DUI accidents:

  • Stiffer fines and punishments for driving drunk
  • More people feeling driven to call 911 or *FHP to report a drunk driver
  • And more alternatives like AAA's free Tow-To-Go service around the holidays

Uber and MADD

Uber and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) teamed up to conduct a report entitled, More Options. Shifting Mindsets. Driving Better Choices.” This report had insightful statistics; one of note is the following:

In California, Uber’s home state and largest market, drunk-driving crashes fell by 60 per month among drivers under 30 in the markets where Uber operates following the launch of uberX. That’s an estimated total of 1,800 crashes prevented since July 2012.”

Other locations are also seeing reductions in drunk driving arrests, such as Miami and Seattle. As Uber and other alternatives emerge, we hope Hernando County will continue to reduce its drunk driving crashes.

Lowering Drunk Driving Incidents

As mentioned above, there are many ways you can reduce drunk driving. Try some of the following:

  • Carpooling
  • Having a designated driver before going out somewhere
  • Balance your drinking with water throughout the night
  • Call a friend if you don’t feel comfortable driving home
  • If you have even the slightest doubt, don’t drive!

It’s not worth ruining yours or someone else’s precious life by making a bad decision--you’ll end up paying the price for it in more ways than one. DUIs can easily cost thousands of dollars on top of attorney’s fees and other expenses.

Sobering up to the Reality

The report states that “every 52 minutes someone is killed in a drunk driving crash.” If you or a loved one has been victimized in a DUI accident, don’t hesitate to reach out and receive help from an attorney.

You can contact us or feel free to browse some of our other blog articles for more information.

DUI_Accident_Guide

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