Tis the season to be jolly.
For a significant percentage of people across the United States, jolly oftentimes translates to consuming copious amounts of adult libations. From the eve of Halloween and lasting through New Year’s Day, people in the U.S.A. understandably make the winter holiday season a time for celebrating. Office parties, family gatherings, special events (including at restaurants, bars, and nightclubs) are the order of the season.
Unfortunately, even in the age of rideshare, public transport, traditional taxis, and designated drivers, tens of thousands of intoxicated people get behind the wheels of automobiles, putting not only their lives but the lives of others in serious jeopardy. On average, 29 people are killed every day in motor vehicle accidents caused by drunk drivers, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This number upticks during the winter holiday season. When the year wraps on New Years Eve, between 10,000 and 11,000 men, women, and children will have lost their lives in the preceding 12 months because of catastrophic motor vehicle accidents caused by drunk driver.
The Prevalence of Drunk Driving Remains an Alarming – and Deadly
Almost 30 percent of the of all traffic-related deaths during the winter holiday season will be caused by drunk drivers. About 3,000 people will be killed during the winter holiday season, from Halloween through the New Year.
Despite the well-intentioned efforts of groups like Mothers Against Drunk Driving, notwithstanding harsher drunk driving laws nearly everywhere in the United States, approximately 115 million drivers self-report at least one episode of drunk driving during the course of the past year. Many of these individuals acknowledge that they drive intoxicated between the time period from the end of October until the beginning of January.
In many locations during the holiday season law enforcement agencies launch what they christen “zero tolerance” programs aimed at keeping drunk drivers off the road. Arguably, these efforts aren’t all that helpful. Whilst more people may be nabbed for intoxicated motoring over the course of the holiday season, less than 1 percent of drunk motorists are arrested during the year for driving under the influence or driving while intoxicated.
In addition to innocent people who will be killed on U.S. roadways by drunk drivers during the holiday season, thousands of individuals will be injured, oftentimes seriously so. Indeed, many men, women, and children motoring to family events, to church, and to other destinations will end up seriously injured because of a drunk driver. In many cases, these people suffer severe injuries that result in long-term or even permanent disabilities.
Your Legal Rights After a Holiday Drunk Driving Accident
Insurance companies are renowned for their predatory behavior. The fundamental reality is that an automobile insurance company is in business for one primary reason: to make money for its shareholders. Insurance company revenue and profits increase in no small way as a result of claims denied or because of pressuring or otherwise coercing injured people to accept an unjust settlement of a claim.
If you or a loved one is injured in a holiday drunk driving accident, or if you’ve lost a family member in a collision caused by an intoxicated driver, an insurance company is not going to be any more benevolent because Thanksgiving, Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanza, or another wintertime celebration is in the offing. In fact, automobile insurance companies are apt to take advantage of the timing of an accident during the holiday season as a means to manipulate an injured person or surviving family member into taking an unsuitably low settlement of a claim.
The drunk driving accident lawyer team at The Doan Law Firm is on duty throughout the holiday season. Having successfully battled insurance companies for years, the Doan Law Firm holiday drunk driving lawyer team is available 365 days a year, including all major holidays. The Doan Law Firm holiday drunk driving accident hotline at (800) 349-0000 is staffed 24 hours a day, including Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.
A nationwide law practice, The Doan Law Firm has offices from coast-to-coast. In addition, a drunk driving lawyer from the firm can schedule a virtual consultation with you online. These is no charge for an initial consultation.
The Doan Law Firm makes at attorney fee promise. You pay nothing unless the dedicated, compassionate team at the firm wins for you.