It is tragic anytime someone suffers serious injury or wrongful death in a car accident in San Francisco or anywhere in the Bay Area. When the accident is caused by completely avoidable behavior like driving under the influence of alcohol, the tragedy is all that much greater. Despite significant efforts to reduce the number of serious car accidents involving drunken drivers, more than 10,000 drivers per year die in accidents caused by drunk drivers, which amounts to an accident every fifty minutes according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Many San Francisco drivers presume that while DUI is a serious issue the probability that any specific Bay Area driver will be involved in an alcohol-related accident is fairly unlikely. Based on statistical evidence, a third of all drivers will be involved in an accident with a drunken driver at some point during their lifetime. Although stricter drunk driving penalties, more aggressive law enforcement efforts, and public service campaigns may have reduced the risk of becoming a victim of a drunk driver, drunken driving still claims the lives of many innocent victims throughout San Francisco.
Those who cause car accidents in San Francisco while driving under the influence of alcohol tend to be repeat offenders who give less consideration to the possibility of a collision resulting in injury or wrongful death. The average drunk driver drives under the influence of alcohol eighty times before their first drunk driving arrest. Because committing DUI poses such a substantial risk of causing a serious motor vehicle accident, a judge or jury will often award punitive damages in a car accident lawsuit against a driver impaired by alcohol. Far more egregious conduct is required for an award of punitive damages than is required for a finding of ordinary negligence.
There has been a wide range of measures designed to curb the practice of driving under the influence of alcohol in California. Some of the most effective measures include the following:
- Stiffer sentences for drunk drivers including mandatory minimum sentences
- Imposition of zero tolerance DUI policies for drivers under 21
- Reduction of the Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) standard to .08 percent on a national basis
- Increased use of sobriety checkpoints and roving patrols
- Widespread use of ignition interlock devices
These are just a few examples of the methods employed to reduce the risk of serious auto accidents in New York caused by drunk drivers. Ironically, many drivers who are intoxicated believe that they are actually more alert and able to drive because alcohol impairs their perception and judgment. Drunk driving is especially dangerous because it compromises a great range of necessary driving skills. Among the types of driving skills that are adversely impacted by alcohol are the following:
- Reaction and braking time
- Judgment and decision-making
- Coordination and control of motor functions
- Vision and hearing
It should never be the case that a drunken driver kills other vehicle occupants in a collision because these accidents are so easily preventable. At the Law Offices Ian Zimmerman, we believe that drivers who engage in this type of reckless driving behavior show a conscious disregard for human life and public safety. We are committed to aggressively pursuing justice for drunken driving accident victims and seeking the maximum possible financial compensation for victims of San Francisco DUI accidents.
Contact Us For Your Free Consult Today!
If you are involved in a San Francisco car accident, our experienced Bay Area car accident attorneys have assisted many victims injured in motor vehicle accidents in the Bay Area. We invite you to contact The Law Office of Ian Zimmerman for your free initial consultation. We are open 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., speak Cantonese and Mandarin Chinese, and are available for weekend, evening, home and hospital meetings and visits. We also offer free initial consultations and work exclusively on a contingency fee basis so that you pay nothing if we don’t win your case.