Drunk Driving Accident Statistics In Florida Cover

Drunk Driving Accident Statistics In Florida

Every day, thousands of Americans are involved in motor vehicle crashes that result in injury or death. In fact, motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death in the U.S. That means that each time you enter your car and drive, you’re at risk of injury and in some cases even death. According to the National Safety Council, car accidents are so numerous that there is a 1 in 114 chance that a person will suffer serious injuries from a car crash. The chances are significantly increased when alcohol is introduced into the equation. As many of you already know, driving while intoxicated is a crime under Florida law. If it results in serious injury, it’s a third-degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison. If it results in a death, it’s a second-degree felony, punishable by up to 15 years behind bars. DUI is also a form of negligence. However, a certain threshold of evidence is required to prove the victim worthy of compensation.

Establishing legal liability can be complex, but the plaintiff (or injured victim) generally needs to show: The driver had a duty to the injured party to practice caution; The duty was breached; As a proximate result of that breach, the plaintiff was injured. This same legal theory applies to bars that sell alcohol to minors (in violation of Florida’s Dram Shop laws), vehicle owners who lend cars to unsafe drivers. At Suarez & Montero, we have spent more than 19 years fighting for the rights of victims and families forced to suffer the consequences of collisions caused by drunk drivers. For civil justice, victims must pursue a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit. It is in this forum that injured victims can seek compensation, not just from the driver and his insurance company but from the owner of the vehicle, any persons or businesses that illegally furnished him with alcohol, and other contributors to the crash. In this blog post, we will provide a quick overview of alcohol related accidents and fatalities in Florida and list some ideas and strategies that can help reduce or prevent drunk driving accidents in Florida.

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DUI Accident Statistics in Florida

According to the most recent report from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FHSMV), in 2018, there were 5,125 alcohol-related car accidents in Florida. The report also states that 350 people lost their lives in these accidents. While not all of those persons had been drinking, all of them were affected by another driver’s decision to get behind the wheel intoxicated. However, the report does note that the actual number of alcohol related accidents in Florida did decrease by about 16% from the last year in which dui accident data was collected.

According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FHSMV), the number of alcohol-related crashes in Florida decreased from 2017 to 2018. The report includes data on drunk driving accidents that result in fatalities in addition to drunk driving accidents that result in non fatal injuries. It is also important to note that the FHSMV believes there may be many more alcohol related accidents that go unreported for fear of being charged with a DUI. In 2017 there were 417 fatalities, compared to 350 in 2018. From 2017 to 2018, the amount of deaths decreased by16% and non fatal injuries caused by these accidents also decreased by 4%. Unsurprisingly, most alcohol related accidents that were reported in Florida involved persons in the 25 to 29 age group. Every year, alcohol continues to be present in over 25% of all reported accidents in Florida. These numbers are still too high, more work needs to be done to bring those numbers down.

Factors That Contributed to Overall Decrease in Alcohol Related Accidents in Florida

The report notes that the decrease in numbers was caused by numerous factors including: more people using rideshares such as Uber or Lyft, fewer young people driving, the steady increase of safe driving education. Many experts say the decrease in drunk driving accidents is related to the increased number of rideshare vehicles available for hire. This is especially true in the bigger metropolitan areas, like Miami-Dade. Another factor may be The Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over and the Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving educational campaigns that help education Floridians on the dangers of drunk driving. Additionally, younger people in Florida’s cities drive less in general and use public transportation or Uber and Lyft to get around, especially at night. Whether the easy availability of Uber or Lyft is causing younger people to drive less, or they are just inclined to drive less, to begin with, is something to be studied.

Contact a Miami Accident Attorney Today

Drunk drivers place their lives at risk and the lives of all other drivers, passengers, and pedestrians on the roads. Drunk driving accidents are among the most common types of accidents in the state of Florida. If you have been injured in a drunk driving accident, it is important to understand your legal rights under Florida law. Talking with a Miami car accident attorney may make it easier to get the money or other resources you need in order to make a full recovery, or as close to a full recovery as possible. Compensation may be available to help pay, both now and in the future, for lost wages and medical bills that were incurred as a result of the injury. In this blog post, we discussed a few steps that you should consider taking if you were hit by an impaired driver. We also briefly touched on some steps that should be taken during the days and weeks following an accident.

In addition to an injured victim, these suggestions apply to family members or other persons who come to the accident site or who provide assistance during the aftermath of an accident. If you are involved in an accident of any kind, you could suffer serious injuries that may take months or years for you to recover. Our attorneys are ready to provide proven legal representation in pursuing your claim and stand ready to protect your rights. We are available 24/7 to give you a free, no risk case consultation.

We serve clients throughout Florida including those in the following areas:

Miami-Dade: Aventura, Coral Gables, Doral, Fontainebleau, Hialeah, Homestead, Kendall, Miami, Miami Beach, Miami Lakes, North Miami, Tamiami, and Westchester.

Broward: Fort Lauderdale, Hallandale Beach, Hollywood, Pembroke Pines, and Weston; and Palm Beach County including Boca Raton, Lake Worth, and West Palm Beach.