A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that stronger alcohol policies could help to reduce the number of alcohol-related traffic accidents each year and save a number of lives in the process. These traffic accidents can often result in personal injuries, as well as serious damage to vehicles. Many cars are often written-off at the scene of the incident, meaning that the driver is left without a vehicle. When they’re ready to start driving again, they can always visit the ultimate place for used cars in Newton if they’re local to that area. By getting another vehicle, they should be able to drive again. Hopefully, after drink driving, the driver will not repeat the offense again.
There have been a number of policies pitched at both to a local and national level to curb drunk driving in America, thanks to the number of times people have been hurt in crashes. Whilst there are many cases raised to court by The Keating Firm LTD. and other firms, there haven’t been many studies to chart the effectiveness of the policies that come in after such events. That was the aim of the new study by researchers at Boston University and Boston Medical Center.
For their study, researchers looked at traffic accident information and what restrictive policies each state had on the books in regards to access to alcohol. They analyzed 29 specific factors like when alcohol sales end each day, the alcohol sales tax in each state, required ignition interlocks for first-time offenders, and much more. Many cases from firms similar to Jim Dodson Law were also considered amongst the information put forward to the study.
Alcohol Access and Car Accidents
After looking at the data, researchers found that for every one percent increase in restrictiveness of alcohol policies there was a one percent reduction in the number of alcohol-related crashes. Moreover, a ten percent increase in policy restrictiveness would result in 800 fewer traffic fatalities each year. This is good news as it means that accidents should decrease if this is applied, but it cannot eliminate the problem altogether. This is why firms like https://www.marksandharrison.com/accident-attorney/car-accidents/ still exist to help victims of car crashes, especially those caused by drunk driving.
“Given the risks involved with alcohol use, strengthening alcohol control policies could help prevent many crash deaths, including the 40 percent of deaths that affect victims who are not themselves driving while intoxicated,” said Timothy Naimi, the study’s lead author. “Although not reflected in our current laws, the risk of crashes starts to increase at BAC levels well below 0.08 percent, so stronger policies offer a way to reduce those deaths as well.”
It seems unlikely that the United States will try to shift to a system where the legal driving limit is lowered to 0.05 or some other number, but it is encouraging to see that certain restrictive policies have been effective. Minnesota has some restrictive policies on the books, most notably with the Implied Consent law and the aggravating factors that can upgrade a DUI charge, but we’re certainly not the strictest in the nation.
If you or someone you know has gotten into trouble after drinking and driving, have them give Appelman Law Firm a call at (952) 224-2277. We have decades of experience defending DUI charges, and our newest attorney used to work as a prosecutor, so he knows exactly how the other side will attack your case. This gives us a leg up on planning your defense. For more information, or to set up a free consultation with one of our lawyers, contact us today.
