Drunk Driving is Dangerous Driving

Drunk Driving is Dangerous Driving

 

By Don Cummings, Trial Lawyer at the Mike Morse Law Firm

“Every day, almost 30 people in the United States die in drunk-driving crashes – that’s one person every 50 minutes…[D]runk-driving crashes claim more than 10,000 lives per year. In 2010, the most recent year for which cost data is available, these deaths and damages contributed to a cost of $44 billion that year”, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (“NHTSA”).

Drunk driving is a serious problem in Michigan. In Michigan, 43.5% of fatal crashes involve alcohol and/ or drugs, according to the 2018 Michigan Annual Drunk Driving Audit.

The simple truth is, drunk driving is dangerous driving.

When a person makes the choice to drive after drinking alcohol, they are making the choice to endanger everyone on the roads in our community. They are making a choice that could be lethal and kill anyone of us or our children on the roads.

I have firsthand experience seeing the consequences of drunk driving. I have represented many victims of drunk driving crashes in my career. There are two families that I recently worked with that standout to me. In one case, a father of a young girl and husband was killed by a drunk driver. In the other case, a young man who had just graduated high school, was full of dreams and was destined to be happy and successful, was killed by a drunk driver. It was not supposed to be their time to die. However, they had no choice. These people and their families were hit like a ton of bricks by drunk drivers.

A young girl growing up without her dad. A mom losing her son. These are very serious consequences that could have been easily prevented if people did not drink and drive.

Oftentimes, victims of drunk driving experience a broad array of misery and emotions, including anger, frustration and fear. This is because they were blindsided by a crash that could have been easily prevented. The fact that it was a drunk driver who killed or injured their family member makes the grieving process more difficult. It is very important to these families that the drunk driver is held accountable and forced to take responsibility for their actions. That is why we file civil court cases against these drunk drivers.

NHTSA created this chart, which shows how drinking alcohol affects your ability to drive:

The Effects of Blood Alcohol Concentration

 

Science and all of the statistics establish that drunk driving is dangerous driving. 

The civil court cases we file in courts across Michigan against drunk drivers are an important part of the process to prevent drunk driving and to help victims of drunk driving move forward in their grieving process. We force drunk drivers to take responsibility and be accountable to the victims that they injured.  Drunk drivers must be held accountable because if they are cut a break from taking full responsibility they are being rewarded. You and I both know that conduct rewarded is conduct which will be repeated.

We need your help to eliminate this threat – please join us in the fight against drunk driving.  Select a designated driver ahead of time, who will stay sober. You can also ask someone else to give you a ride, call a taxi or rideshare, or use public transportation.  Never ride with anyone who has been drinking. Be sure drivers are completely sober before they get behind the wheel.

Believe in better. Imagine if there were no drunk drivers on the road.  You deserve safety on your roads. We can do this together to improve the safety on the roads in our community. Now, let’s get to work.

–Don Cummings

  Mike Morse Law Firm, Southfield, MI, 248-350-9050