Georgia Buzzed Drivers Can Be Liable in Auto Accidents

According to statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2,597 people were killed in United States traffic accidents in December 2010. Of those, 775 deaths involved alcohol-impaired drivers.

Georgia's Driving Under the Influence Laws are complex. Georgia DUI injury attorney Shane Smith can sort through the intermingled laws that potentially create complications in a DUI case.

According to a recent study published by researchers at the University of California, San Diego, drivers with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.01 percent are more likely to speed, be in an accident with another vehicle and less likely to wear a seat belt than sober drivers. Researchers studied 1.5 million fatal accidents that occurred from 1994 through 2008 and published their findings in the journal Addiction.

Among the study's findings:

  • A driver's speed increases proportionate with blood alcohol concentration. Drivers with a BAC of 0.01 percent were found to have an increased likelihood of speeding that was compounded by the alcohol impairment.
  • A driver's likelihood of wearing a seat belt decreases as his blood alcohol concentration increases.
  • A driver's likelihood of being in an accident with another vehicle increases as his blood alcohol concentration increases.
  • Accidents are more than 35 percent more severe when the driver has a BAC of 0.01 percent than when the driver has not been drinking. The severity of accidents is directly correlated with blood alcohol concentration.

Drivers who are impaired by alcohol can be held responsible for causing an accident even if their BAC is below the legal limit.

If you have questions about Georgia DUI laws, get the answers in Clayton County DUI injury attorney Shane Smith's book, I Was Hit By a Drunk Driver: What Do I Do Next? Contact Shane Smith Law to schedule a free legal consultation.

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