Every year, more than seventeen thousand people die in alcohol-related vehicle accidents. This accounts for forty percent of all traffic-related fatalities. Of these fatal accidents, motorcycle operators have the highest incidence of intoxication (at thirty-two percent)- otherwise known as driving under the influence (DUI) or driving while intoxicated (DWI). Large-truck drivers had the lowest rate of car crash DUI incidents at two percent of all fatal accidents. Thirty percent of all Americans will be involved in a car crash DUI incident at some point in their lives. Car crash DUI accidents are five times more likely to happen at night than during the day. Car crash DUI perpetrators are more likely to be male and are most likely to be between the ages of twenty-one and thirty-four.
Because car crash DUI accidents are the cause of such high rates of injury, property damage, and death, laws across the nation have started increasingly tightening down on DUI cases. Nationally, an individual is committing a crime if they are driving a vehicle with a .08 percent blood alcohol concentration (BAC) or above. These DUI cases are tried as misdemeanors or felonies- the latter being more serious. The crime of a DUI is punishable by fines, probation, community service, drug/alcohol program participation, and possibly jail time. The Department of Motor Vehicles may also suspend or revoke your license.
There are several factors pertaining to a DUI incident that enhance DUI sentencing. The following circumstances can make a DUI sentence more severe: a child was in the car during the DUI incident, there are prior drunk driving convictions, the driver failed to comply with implied consent laws requiring chemical testing, the driver has a BAC greater than .20 percent, the impaired driver is speeding at least twenty miles above the speed limit, and car crash DUI related circumstances.
Car crash DUI incidents are considered felonies in most- if not all- states, which means that heavier fines and jail time are possible. Car crash DUI accidents that result in fatalities are automatically considered felony offenses, and the intoxicated driver(s) may be charged with vehicular manslaughter or second-degree murder. A car crash DUI is more likely than a non-accident DUI to be tried under a harsher pretext and may be punishable by monetary fines, license suspension or revocation, and time spent in jail.
The laws regarding DUIs and car crash DUI incidents are changing all the time and vary by location and by the circumstances involved in the DUI case. There is a specialization in the field of law in which legal experts are trained specifically in DUI defense.
Legal options for DUI offenders are best discovered with the help of a DUI attorney. If you or someone you know has been in a car crash DUI incident, you may want to consult with a DUI defense attorney who can advise you of your legal rights and options in your DUI case.