Boston Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer Blog

Around nine million Americans, or four percent of the population, reportedly use either sedatives or sleeping pills in order to get more rest. Studies have shown that drugs prescribed to treat insomnia (as well as other conditions like depression and anxiety) can significantly increase the risk of motor vehicle accidents. Preventing these types of accidents is one important reason why drunk and drugged driving laws prohibit people from driving while under the influence of a sleeping pill. These laws apply even if the person had a valid legal prescription for the pills.

Recently, the issue of drugged driving while on sleeping pills drew national attention when Kerry Kennedy faced criminal charges. Prosecutors alleged that she had continued to drive even after becoming aware that she was under the influence of the sleeping pill Zolpidem. She was acquitted of the charges after arguing that she had mistakenly taken the sleeping pill instead of another of her medications.
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Since 1988, the drinking age has been set at 21 in all states throughout the country. While some states had a lower legal age for consuming alcohol in the 1970’s, a series of drunk driving crashes prompted the age to be raised to 21 nationwide.

Since that time, there have been various arguments made periodically suggesting that the drinking age should be lowered back down to 18. Some of these arguments suggest that a lower drinking age would make alcohol less forbidden and less attractive. Others argue that the drinking age is lower in Europe and that youths are less prone to alcohol-related injury there; while still others allege that there should be a lowered drinking age since most young people ignore the current laws and drink anyway.

Despite these arguments, most safety advocates are against a lowered drinking age. Now, a new study conducted at Boston University’s School of Public Health provides more conclusive evidence that lowering the drinking age would increase drunk driving accidents and cause lost lives. Victims of drunk driving accidents with underage drivers can pursue a damage claim against the teens who drink and hurt them, and a Boston drunk driving lawyer can help.
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To pass laws and protect the public, the government needs to gauge the widespread risks of drunk driving. Since 1973, the government has been getting this information by conducting a National Roadside Survey of Alcohol and Drugged Driving. They survey, which is supported by Mothers Against Drunk Driving and by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, has been conducted five times since 1973.

Now, however, ABC News is reporting that an attempt to obtain the data this year has caused significant controversy nationwide. Many outraged motorists view the actions taken to obtain data as an abuse of power and a violation of constitutional protections.

The issue of motorist’s freedom versus public interest in protecting against drunk driving is one that comes up frequently, including issues related to the legality and propriety of drunk driving checkpoints. While the government does need to protect people’s rights, it also needs to ensure that intoxicated motorists are kept off the road and don’t cause serious accidents. Crash victims can be compensated for collisions with the help of Boston drunk driving lawyers, but prevention is always preferable to taking action after the accident.
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Drunk driving is a problem among all age groups, but teens and college students tend to be at higher risk. Schools have tried a lot of different approaches to discourage intoxicated driving among students, both to protect students and to keep the community safer. Recently, however, a program sat UMass is offering an innovative, albeit potentially problematic, solution that could make a difference.

When a teen driver or college student causes a drunk driving accident, he or she can be held accountable for any injuries or losses that result. Both passengers and other motorists can file a lawsuit to recover compensation with the help of a Boston drunk driving lawyer.
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Officials in Massachusetts recently awarded licenses to 20 different dispensaries of medical marijuana throughout the state. While some question whether the process of granting these licenses was flawed, the fact is that the state is moving forward on a bumpy road towards legalizing marijuana, at least for medical use.

Massachusetts is not the only state in the U.S. that has liberalized its drug laws and that has made marijuana use more permissible. Medical marijuana has become widely accepted and recreational marijuana use is now allowed in two different locations in the country. While advocates of legalization tout the benefits of this relaxation in the war on drugs, there is also a downside that has become apparent: drugged driving crashes are on the rise.

Victims of a drugged driving crash need to understand their legal rights and pursue a damage claim against the driver responsible. A Boston impaired driving attorney can help victims of a drugged driving crash to obtain compensation for injuries and losses.
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Back in November 2006, and after we saw more than 13,000 drunk driving accident fatalities in accidents, officials with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) kicked off the Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving. This campaign serves as a blueprint for the country to help eliminate these completely preventable tragedies.

Through this campaign, officials work diligently to reduce the risks by offering support for law enforcement officers and high-visibility enforcement activities, legislation to make sure that all convicted drivers have an ignition interlock device and the development of in-car technologies to stop drunk drivers before they set out on our roads.

Our drunk driving car accident attorneys understand that these three factors have been proven to be extremely successful in helping to reduce the risks of these kinds of accidents across the nation. Recently, officials with MADD release its “Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving: 2014 Report to the Nation”. This new report helps to show us what legislative accomplishments have been made thus far, highlights states and their drunk driving reforms, and offers a glimpse of what we can except in future campaigns.
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Public health experts across the world are focusing on young driver safety. In the UK, officials have calling for “a frank and open public debate” on the issue. According to The Information Daily, government officials are dragging their feet in addressing the issue even though it could wind up saving both lives and money.

In January of last year, the government claimed that it would create resource on young driver safety but were still promising come December, stating that they were “wrestling with the issues”. As it stands now, motor-vehicle accidents account for close to 30 percent of the fatalities experienced by 15- to 19-year-olds.

It’s not much better here in the U.S.

Our Boston drunk driving accident lawyers understand that, at all levels of blood-alcohol concentration (BAC), the risk of involvement in a motor vehicle crash is greater for teens than for older drivers. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 20 percent of drivers aged 15 to 20 involved in fatal motor vehicle crashes were drinking.
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It took less than two hours for a Hampden Superior County jury to figure out that the defendant was guilty. They found her guilty of an alcohol-related charge, but not motor vehicle homicide, in a chain-reaction accident that claimed the life of a Holyoke man back in 2011, according to MassLive. The 33-year-old driver was sentenced to three years of probation, against a prosecution request for a 1 and a half-year jail sentence.

The accident happened when the now sentenced driver slammed into a parked SUV back in June of 2011 on Lincoln Street. The woman who was fatally injured in the accident ran outside of her home to help a victim in the flipped car, only to be hit by a passing vehicle and killed. The second driver in this case was initially charged with negligent vehicular manslaughter, but that case was later dropped.

Our drunk driving accident attorneys in Massachusetts feel it important to point out that the first driver’s blood-alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit. Unfortunately, this case illustrates the limits of the criminal justice system. As a part of the sentence, the convicted driver is required to abstain from unprescribed drugs and alcohol, submit to a random alcohol and drug screening and attended three Alcoholics Anonymous meetings a week.
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A driver from Natick who thought he was doing the right thing was actually turning himself in. According to ABC40, the 21-year-old driver walked right into a police station during the early-morning hours to report that he had crashed his vehicle. At that time, officers smelled alcohol on him and decided to perform field sobriety tests, which the driver failed. He was ruled to be over the legal limit to drive.

At that moment, officers arrested the man and charged him with driving to endanger and driving under the influence of liquor. He was later releases and pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Our drunk driving accident lawyers in Natick understand that intoxicated individuals don’t always make the best of decisions. Difficulty walking, blurred vision, slurred speech, slowed reaction times, impaired memory — clearly, alcohol affects the brain. Drivers use their hands, eyes, and feet to control the car; but their hands, eyes, and feet must be controlled by their brains. Safe driving requires alertness and the ability to make quick decisions in rapidly changing situations. Drinking alcohol can have a profound effect on driving skills.
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