The holidays are here and the New Year is right around the corner. No matter their religion or socioeconomic background, most people across the country celebrate this time of year in one way or another. For some Californians, this means taking a breather from their ordinary work routine and spending time with family and friends.
This time of year also comes with an extraordinary amount of injuries and deaths from motor vehicle accidents. According to data from the California Highway Patrol, for the period between 2008 and 2012, 170 people lost their lives in accidents in just a few days around the New Year’s holiday. In just one period of less than four days between late December 2011 and early January 2012, more than 1,500 people suffered injuries in auto accidents in California. That staggering number, however, was actually down from a similar period between 2007 and 2008 when 2,178 people were injured in accidents.
Quite simply, this is a dangerous time of the year to be driving on California’s roadways. Drunk driving is, of course, a primary reason why accidents increase around the holidays. Despite the horrific risks, many people get behind the wheel of a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol. By doing so, they endanger themselves and their passengers, in addition to the safety of everyone else on the road.
Evidence that a driver was drunk can be used to demonstrate negligence if that driver gets involved in an accident. This means that victims of these accidents can use the evidence of drunk driving in a legal action against the driver.
Nobody should have to deal with the loss of a loved one due to a fatal drunk driving accident, especially around the holidays. Drunk driving is simply not worth the risks.
Source: CHP SWITRS Section 7, “2012 Annual Report of Fatal and Injury Motor Vehicle Traffic Collisions,” Accessed on Dec. 19, 2014
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