DUI Car Accidents Make St. Patrick’s Unlucky
Thousands of people across the country (Irish or not) are excited to drink green beer and eat corned beef and cabbage in the coming days. The Atlanta-area boasts a number of festivities for any age group to enjoy the traditions of the Irish. While we wish you a fun-filled St. Patrick’s Day, we want to ensure that you aren’t testing your luck when it comes to safety.
Believe it or not, Atlanta landed itself on the top five list for most Irish pubs/restaurants (per capita) and most St. Patrick Day’s parties (per capita). Although it will be easy to find green beer and cabbage, it is particularly important to know the dangers of binge drinking.
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism states that binge drinking is a pattern of drinking that brings a person’s blood alcohol concentration to 0.08 grams percent or above. For males, this means that they have consumed 5 or more drinks within 2 hours; and women will consume 4 or more drinks within 2 hours. The alarming and sobering statistics say that binge drinkers are 14 times more likely to report alcohol-impaired driving than non-binge drinkers.
The Center for Disease Control found that alcohol-related motor vehicle accidents (DUI accidents) kill someone every 31 minutes and non-fatally injure someone every 2 minutes due to binge drinking.
St. Patrick’s Day is one of the most popular holidays for individuals to participate in binge drinking (especially those ages 18-49). According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, from 2009 through 2013, there were 276 fatal car accidents involving drunk drivers on St. Patrick’s Day alone.
Thinking of testing your luck??? No way!
We suggest simple these steps to ensure that your luck doesn’t run out so that you make it home safely!
- Before joining the party, plan a safe way home.
- Have a designated driver chosen and leave your car keys at home.
- Use public transportation, Uber or Lyft.
- If you notice someone intoxicated and trying to drive themselves home, take their keys and find them a sober driver.
- If you suspect that another driver is drunk on the road, call local law enforcement immediately.
Please keep these tips in mind before you begin the celebration! Don’t test your luck or your life!
For more information, get in contact with one of the attorneys at Kaine Law.