Shocking Facts About Drink Driving That You May Not Have Known

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DUI is perhaps one of the most reckless forms of criminal behaviour. Driving whilst under the influence of drugs or alcohol is not only careless, but incredibly dangerous too. Here are some facts and figures about DUI that you may not have known already.

  • Every 2 minutes, someone is injured in a drunk driving crash.
  • On average, ⅔ of people will be involved in a drunk driving crash in their lifetime.
  • In 2013, 28.7 million people admitted to driving under the influence of alcohol. That’s more than the populations of Ireland, New Zealand and London put together.
  • The rate of drunk driving is at its highest amongst 26-29 year olds.
  • Drunk driving costs each adult in the USA over $500 per year.

These are just a handful of statistics of DUI. As you can see, DUI is a dangerous menace in our society that needs to be stamped out. Not only does it cost lives, but it costs serious money in clear up costs too. Drunk driving benefits nobody, and every time you get behind the wheel whilst under the influence, you are putting the lives of yourself and others at risk. A DUI attorney can help you if you have a court case coming up for DUI.

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Children:

In 2013, A total of 1,149 children aged 14 and younger were killed in auto crashes. Of all those tragic fatalities,  17% were alcohol related. Out of that 17% (200 deaths), 61% were occupants of vehicles with drivers who had bacs of 0.8 or higher. 15% were pedestrians or cyclists struck by drivers who were driving whilst under the influence.

Demographics:

In 2014, three times as many males compared to females were arrested for DUI offences. 401,904 men were arrested, this is compared to only 130,480 females that were arrested. In fatal crashes in 2014, the highest percentage of drunk drivers was for drivers aged 21 to 24 at 30%. This is followed by 29% by ages 25 to 34. Ages 35-44 made 24% of arrests.

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Arrests:

Research shows that each day, people drive drunk more than 300,000 times. Only 3200 of these are arrested each day, which constitutes a big issue. Over 1.1 million drivers were arrested in 2014 for DUI offences. Approximately ⅓ of all drivers arrested or convicted of DUI are repeat offenders.

Nature of impairment:

Impairment is not determined by the type of beverage you drink, but rather how much alcohol you consume over time. A standard drink is defined at 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine or 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits. All of these standard drinks contain the same amount of alcohol. The average person metabolizes alcohol at the rate of about one drink per hour.

There are some simple facts and statistics about DUI, and some things you may not have known before. Always have fun when drinking, but make sure you stay safe at the same time! And remember, never get behind the wheel when you’ve drunk more than the recommended amount of alcohol for driving.