Last Updated on January 22, 2019 by Keisha Mclean-Green

In the United States, 1 in 3 crash deaths is caused by drunk driving, resulting in 1 death every 48 minutes. When so many people get behind the wheel after drinking too much, how can this be prevented? Recent research by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) shows how we can all take responsibility to prevent drunk driving fatalities.

According to the CDC, accidents and deaths caused by drunk drivers can be prevented with the following measures.

• Actively enforcing existing 0.08% blood alcohol content (BAC) laws, minimum legal drinking age laws, and zero tolerance laws for drivers younger than 21 years old in all states.
• Promptly taking away the driver’s licenses of people who drive while intoxicated.
• Using sobriety checkpoints.
• Putting health promotion efforts into practice that influence economic, organizational, policy, and school/community action.
• Using community-based approaches to alcohol control and DWI prevention.
• Requiring mandatory substance abuse assessment and treatment, if needed, for DWI offenders.
• Raising the unit price of alcohol by increasing taxes.

Areas for continued research:

• Reducing the illegal BAC threshold  to 0.05%.
• Mandatory blood alcohol testing when traffic crashes result in injury.
• Case:Suing a family member for wrongful death.

  Personal Responsibility and Community Involvement

Planning ahead is one of the most effective measures for preventing impaired driving. The CDC suggests:

• Prior to any drinking, designate a non-drinking driver when with a group.
• Don’t let your friends drive impaired. Take their keys away.
• If you have been drinking, get a ride home or call a taxi.
• If you’re hosting a party where alcohol will be served, remind your guests to plan ahead and designate their sober driver; offer alcohol-free beverages; and make sure all guests leave with a sober driver.

Ultimately, driving after you have had too much to drink is not abot the traffic ticket, it’s a matter of individual responsibility. We consulted a local law firm and in most states, including North Carolina, the legal driving limit is .08%. So it is important to know how much you’re drinking and give yourself plenty of time for your blood alcohol level to drop before you get behind the wheel. To give you an idea of how much alcohol is in your drink and how it affects your blood alcohol content, use the helpful tool at B4UDrink.org. There are also mobile devices and apps that you can use on your smartphone so you can check your own BAC level to see if you are sober enough to get behind the wheel. Click here to read more about apps and devices for measuring BAC.

Good Lawyers like Joseph Dang is a personal injury lawyer who practices in San Diego, CA.

If you need additional help, than go to Heninger Garrison Davis LLC.

Source: Injury Prevention & Control: Motor Vehicle Safety, Center For Disease Control