1.1. SIRS: Epidemiology and Consequences of Drinking and Driving
1.2. In 2002, 573 children younger than age 16 died in crashes involving drinking drivers.
1.3. Rachel Amaris Elliott was born June 23, 1989, in Fallbrook, CA, .Rachel was attending her first year in college and having the time of her life as a young adult. She was going to college, pursuing her dream of living in Southern California and becoming a forensic investigator. On February 21, 2008 Rachel was killed by an [alleged] drunk driver.
1.4. The life of Xitclalli “Chilli” Vasquez, 9, took a tragic turn in the summer of 2011 when a drunk driver’s car collided head-on with the car the Fort Worth, Texas, girl was riding in, leaving her paralyzed from the chest down.
2. You can get in trouble with the Law
2.1. Penalties for drunk driving are set by state law and can include fines, suspension or loss of license, or prison sentences. In many cases, first-time offenders are given lighter sentences, such as fines, license restrictions, mandatory attendance at alcohol education classes or counseling, or community service
2.2. Drivers have the right to refuse to take a breath test to measure their BAC, but doing this results in mandatory sanctions that generally include a license suspension . Blood and urine tests can also measure BAC, and in some states, police are allowed to seek a warrant to do a blood test if the driver refuses to take a breath test
2.3. By Tom Jackman Washington Post Staff Writer Saturday, March 7, 2009 A Woodbridge man who drove the wrong way, drunk, on Route 1 last year and slammed head-on into another car at 96 mph, killing the driver, was sentenced to 15 years in prison yesterday by a Fairfax County judge.
2.4. Over 1.41 million drivers were arrested in 2010 for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics- MADD
2.5. MARYLAND DWI Being charged with driving while intoxicated (DWI) is the top alcohol infraction. It means, among other things, that your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) posted at a level of .08% or higher. In Maryland, the offense is extremely severe in the sense that 12 points automatically are marked against your license. This results in instant revocation of your license. The monetary fine for a first offense is $1,000, and $2,000 for a second offense. But these costs are nothing compared to the money involved with going court and/or hiring an attorney. All total, a DWI charge can set you back up to $10,000.
2.6. MARYLAND DUI Although driving under the influence (DUI) is a lesser infraction under Maryland law, it is still a serious offense. If your BAC is between .04% and .07%, you'll be charged with a DUI. In many cases, people who end up on the lower end of the BAC spectrum but fail miserably on a field sobriety test end up with this charge. Officer judgment is a major factor. The end result is eight points tallied against your driving record and a $500 fine (for both a first and second offense). Jail time can range from 60 days from the first offense and up to a year for the second.
3. Every day in America, another 28 people die as a result of drunk driving crashes-MADD
4. Killing or injuring yourself
4.1. 2005, for example, 3,467 drivers between the ages of 15 and 20 were killed, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. More than a quarter had been drinking alcohol
4.2. Wednesday, March 28, 2012, around 10:30 in the evening, a pick-up truck broke down on loop 6-10 North near Airline Drive. The driver of the disabled truck pulled over and safely moved his vehicle out of traffic into the emergency lane. It was there that a drunk driver in another pick-up truck slammed into the back of his vehicle and then rolled-over onto its side. The driver of the striking pick-up truck was reported to be intoxicated. He was taken to the hospital with a critical head injury.
5. On average, one in three people will be involved in a drunk driving crash in their lifetime.
5.1. In Frederick County Alone there were 12 fatal drunk driving accidents in 2005
5.2. In frederick county there were 1138 people arrested for drunk driving in 2005
