Drunk Driving During the Holidays
Keep our California roadway’s safe this holiday season. Always designate a sober driver, and if you see a drunk driver on the road, call 911. According to the California Highway Patrol, 1,029 people were killed in alcohol involved crashes last year alone. Nationwide, DUI fatality victims total nearly 23,000 every year. The California Office of Traffic safety (OTS) and local law enforcement need your help to remind all motorists to celebrate responsibly. With your help, we can decrease the number of people killed and injured in California as a result of alcohol-related crashes.
The following signs can help you detect an impaired driver on the road: weaving, straddling the center of the road or lane marker, swerving, erratic braking, driving into opposing traffic, almost striking an object or another vehicle, turning wide, erratic breaking, driving with headlights off, or turning abruptly.
One American life is lost every 22 minutes in an alcohol-related traffic collision or wreck, so if you observe any of the above-mentioned signs, report a drunk driver immediately by calling 911 before it is too late. Be ready to describe to the dispatcher the manner in which the vehicle is being driven; the exact location of the vehicle, including the name of the road or cross streets and the direction the vehicle is traveling; and a complete description of the vehicle (make, model, color and license plate number).
As you travel the streets of Roseville, Rocklin, Loomis, Penryn, Chico, Sacramento, Newport Beach, Santa Clara, Fairfield, Vacaville, Dixon, and the Auburn area, you can do something to help get drunk drivers off the road.
During this holiday season, always designate a sober driver even if you plan on just having a drink or two of alcohol. You want to avoid a car wreck and not have to deal with a lawyer. It is always better to be safe than sorry, but if you’re going to drink:
- Designate a driver.
- Call a cab.
- Stay at your home or hotel.
- Call a friend or family member.
The CHP maintains DUI checkpoints throughout the state of California to reduce the number of drunk drivers on our highways and diminish the amount of pain, suffering and fatalities that result from drunk driving. If you or your loved one is in an accident, our lawyers can help you navigate through the legal system and obtain a fair settlement for you or your loved one.
Many Californians are unaware that California is an implied consent state meaning that anyone granted the driving privilege is presumed to have given consent to law enforcement to conduct chemical testing of the motorist’s blood or breath. If the driver is injured in an accident blood may be drawn in certain circumstances.
Driving a vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs is a violation of the law, as is anyone driving with a blood alcohol reading of 0.08% or higher. Be sure to go to www.chp.ca.gov to review the Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) Chart to ascertain how drinking alcohol affects your BAC.
Furthermore, it is illegal for an owner or driver to keep an open container of alcohol in a vehicle except in the trunk or other area out of the immediate control of the occupants. It is also unlawful for passengers to possess an open container of alcohol. Remember excessive alcohol can cause a serious auto accident.
Penney & Associates (sometimes misspelled Penny) injury lawyers are dedicated to providing competent legal advice with offices throughout California. A qualified personal injury lawyer works for you and only you to help you through the pitfalls of the courts and personal injury case.
For more information about Penney & Associates or the managing attorney Frederick W. Penney, please visit our website at www.penneyandassociates.com or contact one of our lawyers by calling toll free 1-(800) 616-4529. This article has been worked on by attorneys and/or staff from Penney and Associates.