As we have previously discussed on our Athens, Georgia, DUI law blog, an individual may face serious legal and social consequences if charged with driving under the influence. Members of university athletic teams may be suspended from playing in games, professionals could lose their jobs and others could be sentenced to serve time in jail.
Although DUI charges are not to be taken lightly in the state of Georgia, or any state for that matter, individuals continue to drink and drive. According to a recent survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, millions of Americans admitted that they have driven after having possibly one too many drinks.
With four million Americans admitting to drinking and driving last year, it is estimated that drunk drivers were on our roads about 112 million times. It is also estimated that each year nearly 11,000 deaths are the result of a motor-vehicle accident involving a drunk driver.
The CDC is concerned with the results of the study and is suggesting that states take a more active approach to catch and penalize the millions of drunk drivers who are on our nation’s roads and highways.
The CDC has suggested increasing sobriety checkpoints and passing laws that enforce harsher penalties for individuals who are convicted of driving under the influence.
Of the millions of Americans who took the CDC’s survey, men between the ages of 21 and 34 accounted for one out of every three drunk drivers. Eighty-five percent of the drunk drivers reported to also be binge drinkers.
Source: WebMD, “4 Million in U.S. Admit Drunk Driving,” Daniel J. DeNoon, Oct. 4, 2011