The Pressing Issue Of Drunk Driving On Christmas
During the Christmas holiday season, the data on fatalities and traffic incidents would usually rise up in numbers. As demonstrated by the reports made by the National Security Council and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Christmas DUI Statistics are pretty jarring.
Frankly, we don’t expect this year to be any less different.
In 2020, 39% of traffic fatalities on Christmas Day involved a drunk driver according to the NSC. With 32 people dying daily under the hands of drunk drivers per the figures reported by the CDC, it’s apparent that this issue needs to be addressed on a systemic and legislative level.
There have been some efforts made to curb the problem. In 2015, California Governor Gavin Newson implemented the Vision Zero Initiative with the hopes of eliminating traffic fatalities altogether by 2025. But seeing recent statistical data, it’s safe to say that such efforts can be rendered futile.
As traffic fatalities and deaths struggle to wane in a post-lockdown world, people are left to their own devices in making individual decisions to protect themselves from harm on the road. In this blog, we will outline five ways you can avoid DUI fatalities on the road.
Don’t Drink And Drive
This should go without saying, but if you are planning on driving after a Christmas holiday party, you should refrain from drinking. Consuming alcohol will impede your judgments and affect your depth perception behind the wheel, which may cause you to make some questionable driving decisions. Worse comes to worst, it may lead you to acquire fatal injuries and wrongful deaths.
But your inebriation will not just affect your wellbeing. It could affect those around you on the road as well.
Pedestrians most especially face the brunt of drunk drivers as they don’t have any buffers absorbing the impact of an incoming collision in the same way that drivers and passengers may have.
Use A Seatbelt
While you may have done your due diligence by controlling your alcohol intake during the holiday party, others may not have been considerate enough to do the same thing. Just because you haven’t had a drop of alcohol to drink, does not mean that you have aptly armed yourself against the recklessness of drunk drivers.
You will need to use the protective tools at your disposal to maximize your chances of survival. An important tool that you must use is your seat belt. In the event of an accident, a seat belt buckles you down and prevents you from careening outside of your vehicle, preventing you from acquiring graver and more catastrophic injuries.
Make Sure Your Airbags are Up to date
This seems fairly intuitive, but not a lot of people are aware that the airbags they have in their cars may be defective. Indeed, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has issued a recall on several airbags —namely those manufactured by Takata Corporation— as they’ve been reported to be defective and harmful.
The NHTSA has stated that millions of airbags —specifically, 67 million — have been recalled, and they are urging those who may have not had theirs replaced yet to go to their car dealerships to get their airbags changed. This issue is so dire that a recent recall has been issued by BMW involving their Takata airbag inflators, which has killed 27 Americans thus far.
Don’t Smoke And Drive
A lot of people opt to smoke during a Holiday party instead of driving because they think it’s the lesser of two evils. This couldn’t be further from the truth. While it is hard to be convicted of a DUI from smoking, it may incur the same deadly results as drinking and driving.
Similar to alcohol, the chemicals that you inhale when you smoke impedes your judgment which affects your depth perception and compromises your ability to make rational decisions. It could also cause drowsiness, which is dangerous as you could quite literally fall asleep behind the wheel.
Have Fully Functional Headlights
Having working headlights is also key in protecting yourself against drunk drivers. As instances of drunk driving usually happen in the evening, a fully functional headlights gives you some leverage in making quick decisions as soon as the alarm bells in your head get triggered by a nearby driver who are exhibiting signs of inebriation.
Call The Best Christmas DUI Lawyer — Omega Law Group
The best gift that victims of drunk drivers could give themselves during the holiday season is a semblance of stability. The aftermath of a fatal accident could be wrought with a lot of uncertainty and frustration, and having a reliable DUI lawyer could provide a lot of clarity and ease for DUI victims.
If you or a loved one has recently been involved in a car accident, you need to call the best christmas DUI lawyer. You need to call Omega Law Group.
Omega Law Group’s legal team comprises personal injury experts who are highly qualified and experienced in matters relating to drunk driving. They are empathetic to the plight of their clients and will fight relentlessly against insurance providers and simultaneously work with your medical providers to get you the justice and compensation you deserve.
With over millions of dollars accrued in compensation, there’s not a doubt in mind that Omega Law Group is the right fit for your legal needs. They’ve garnered attention from their peers, racking up awards from industry-vetted organizations like SuperLawyers.com and Best Lawyers. They’ve also been featured in prestigious publications like the Los Angeles Times as well as the Los Angeles Business Journal.
With the latter publication labeling them as one of the “Most Admired Firms” in the city, Omega’s brand of excellence has thus been further cemented in the world of personal injury. Yet they remain grounded in their desire to advocate for everyone regardless of their financial circumstances.
As a matter of fact, they insist on operating on a contingency-fee basis. This allows them to deliver quality and equitable legal services without hassling their clients with an upfront legal fee. Schedule a free consultation now to learn more!