Personal Injury Law

Driving Under the Influence

By Amber Wheat

This is a pretty hot topic right now because of the increasing number of collisions that involve alcohol or drugs. Anyone who has been caught drunk driving will tell you it’s not worth the risk, but people (especially young adults) still think that it’s okay to get behind the wheel after having a few rounds.

The truth is, driving under the influence is just plain stupid. Not only are those people endangering their lives, but they are taking unnecessary risks with the lives of everyone else on the road. They don’t seem to understand the consequences of their actions. Bethann Colyer will pay for her mistake with twelve years and eight months in prison. One would hope that the public would take her sentence as a warning, but the very next day, a sixteen-year-old took the life of an old man while driving under the influence.

The tragic Casino Bus Crash was international news last week and many articles reported that the driver had been drunk. The District Attorney dropped the DUI charges yesterday when the toxicity tests turned out to be negative. It appears the driver may have had low blood sugar which caused intoxicated behavior leading to the original suspicion.

You don’t even have to be the cause of the accident, you will still be arrested if you operate a motor vehicle while under the influence of any intoxicating substance as a construction truck driver found out after he was rear-ended.

Too bad for him, a pair of DUI Fixers were recently arrested and found guilty of tampering with court records to get DUI cases dismissed. Hector Whitley won’t be able to help anymore violators (at least not for six to eight years). With help from ex-court clerk Fernando Catlin, minute orders were entered into the files dismissing the cases.

Is it any wonder that DUIs are such a problem right now? When times are tough, people are losing their jobs, and you can get off scott free, why not? If you or someone you love has been injured in an accident please give us a call. Drunk drivers make a choice, actually, they make two choices, 1) they choose to drink, take drugs, or medicate themselves, then 2) they choose to get behind the wheel. The first choice isn’t always a mistake, but it dulls a person’s senses and may make choice number two that much easier to make. It’s okay to drink.. .just don’t drive.

In today’s day and age there is absolutely no excuse for driving under the influence. There are many charitable organizations that offer rides home to people at bars. There are taxi services that people can call. Call a friend, or family, or anybody who is sober, everyone has a cell phone nowadays. If all else fails take public transit or walk. Do not ride a bike (that can be just as dangerous, if not moreso).

All right, I’ll get off my soap box now. Just please be careful out there folks.

Full post as published by Sacramento Personal Injury Lawyer on October 15, 2008 (boomark / email).