Is Florida doing enough to prevent drunk driving accidents?
On behalf of Eisenmenger, Robinson & Peters, P.A. posted in Drunk Driving Accidents on Wednesday, June 24, 2015.
According to the advocacy group Mothers Against Drunk Driving, more than 600 people died on Florida roads in 2014 due to alcohol-related traffic accidents. Though this number represents a decrease over the total alcohol-related deaths counted in 2013, it is still painfully high. Drunk driving accidents are preventable and it is often on law enforcement officers’ ability to stop dangerous drivers to keep innocent travelers safe on local roads.
The online news provider WalletHub recently released an analysis on drunk driving laws across the country and ranked states based on the stringency of their alcohol-related legislation. Florida ranks in the middle of the pack at 21st, meaning that there are 20 states with more lenient drunk driving laws on their books than those utilized here in the Sunshine State. It takes three drunk driving charges in order for a negligent driver to be charged with a felony in Florida, and Florida does not automatically impound vehicles after drunk driving arrests.
Like the majority of other states, Florida requires people with drunk drivingcharges on their records to undergo treatment for their drinking. Florida officers also use sobriety checkpoints to investigate whether drivers are operating under the influence. Though the state does have some proactive approaches to preventing drunk driving collisions, Florida residents must also take it upon themselves to drive sober and avoid alcohol-related collisions.
An auto accident that involves intoxication can be devastating for direct victims and their families. The pain and suffering that a drunk driver can inflict through his reckless actions can be widespread, and according to MADD, just last year more than 600 families had to endure that pain. While the state does its best to balance drunk driving legislation with its citizens’ freedom, victims of drunk driving accidents struggle to balance their lives with the hardships they suffered in their avoidable alcohol-related collisions.
Source: Bradenton.com, “Florida ranks No. 21 amount states tough on drunken drivers,” June 16, 2015
Tags: Drunk Driving Accidents
