Personal Injury Law

Looking for Ways to Decrease the Number of Maryland Car Crashes Caused by Drunk Drivers

By Jack Lebowitz, Esq. and Vadim Mzhen, Esq.

Our Baltimore personal injury lawyers represent many people that have been hurt in Maryland car crashes because a driver was drunk. It is unfortunate that despite laws that make it illegal for people to drive while intoxicated, and all the efforts to educate people about the dangers of drunk driving, people continue to die in drunk driving accidents.

This isn?t to say that the number of US drunk driving crashes hasn?t gone down. While almost 12,000 people died in auto accidents involving a drunk driver in 2008, 10,839 people were killed in drunk driving crashes in 2009. Our Rockville, injury lawyers hope that this figure continues to go down.

Last week, the transportation safety officials and advocates against drunk driving took a look at technology under development that would stop drunk drivers from driving. The Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety (DADSS) technology (DADSS), would prevent drunk drivers from being able to operate their vehicles if they had a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or greater. DADDS could be voluntarily installed in new vehicles. One DADSS system uses a breath-based approach, the other system is touch-based.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says predictable effects on driving include:

W/ a BAC of .08%: Short term memory loss, problems processing information and visual data, impaired perception challenges, and issues with speed control.

W/ a BAC of .10%: Difficulty braking or maintaining lane position.

W/ a BAC of .15%: Significant impaired driving

Our Owing Mills, Maryland personal injury law firm knows how to prove negligence in cases involving drunken drivers. We know that no amount of money can make up for your catastrophic injuries or a loved one?s death, but we can help you hold the responsible party liable, which can help cover expenses incurred because of the injury or wrongful death.

U.S. Transportation Secretary LaHood Views Demonstration of New In-Vehicle Technology Targeted Toward Habitual Drunk Drivers, NHTSA, January 28, 2011

Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety (PDF)

Related Web Resources:
Mothers Against Drunk Driving

Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration

Full post as published by Maryland Accident Law Blog on January 31, 2011 (boomark / email).