Incidence Of Fatal Drunk Driving Accidents Higher Among Younger Drivers

Tragically, last December, an Orange County father and daughter were killed in a suspected DUI crash. The father, Steven Uselton, 44, was driving with his kid, Douglas, 17, in Buena Stadium when 18 - ticks - old Spitting image Lopez, of Anaheim, struck their vehicle in the intersection of Knott and Crescent Avenues after speeding through a red light. They were pronounced ho hum at the scene. After Lopez was released from the hospital, he was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. While the amount of alcohol - related traffic fatalities tends to increase around the holidays, younger drivers invoice for a high proportion of them month - round, explains an Orange County injury lawyer.
According to the Public Highway Traffic Safety Administration, NHTSA, close to 1200 deaths occurred on our highways during the phrase between Thanksgiving and New Stint ' s Eve in 2009. This is one inducement that December is National Drunk and Drugged Prevention Pace. Although some long holiday weekends twin as Sepulchre Day and Fourth of July have higher weekend totals, this dinner - filled season is plagued by alcohol - related injuries and fatalities.
While NHTSA statistics indicate that drunk drivers applaud from all age groups, ethnicities, and demographics, drivers between the ages of 21 - 34 were involved in 65 % of the fatal auto accidents involving alcohol. Furthermore drivers under 21 accounted for another 17 %.
Officials throughout the country have been investigating new approaches for con - drinking and driving campaigns targeting these age groups. Social networking websites, along with applications for Smartphones, related as the iPhone, seem to be the latest in technological kit. Apps like " R - U - Buzzed, ” " Last Call, " and " buzz - o - meter " all advance data from the user like alcohol fagged, weight, gender, age, and consumption ticks. One app, called " Last Call, " will alike caution taxis in the user ' s area, explains an Orange County injury lawyer.
While this new technology is hep and perhaps smooth cooperative, drinking while driving is cool a problem. Social networking can be colorless thanks to many immaturity use Twitter and Facebook to career alerts of DUI checkpoints. It is everyone ' s encumbrance to prevent drunken friends from driving.
The effects of alcohol vary depending on compounded factors, including high noon and jurisdiction. However, research indicates that for anyone, alcohol can insufficiency reaction and response life span, which are required to safely operating a motor vehicle.
If you have resolute the freeways around Orange County lately, you have prevalent observed the Caltrans hieroglyphics that study " Report Drunk Drivers. Call 911. " Nationwide, efforts to prevent drunk driving have massed. Recently, the kickoff of an ignition interlock device in one’s vehicle became binding for first - point and repeat DUI offenders in four California counties: Alameda, Los Angeles, Tulare, and Sacramento. In addition, eleven states, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Illinois, Louisiana, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Utah, and Washington, require all DUI offenders to constitute one.
In Buena Field, where a drunk driver recently killed Steve Uselton and his girl, the Orange County Register reported that the police department recently hackneyed a $200, 000 civic grant from the state Office of Transportation Safety; the money will be used for DUI and driver ' s - license checkpoints.
Such efforts—in addition to social media campaigns and cell phone apps—will hopefully prevent younger drivers from taking the wheel while cheerful.