Drunk driving as a factor in fatal traffic accidents in the United States is not as potent as it used to be a few years ago.  However, the risks from young drivers, especially male drivers, and binge drinkers continue to remain high.

According to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, these groups of drivers accounted for a high number of intoxicated driving episodes per year.  About 4 million American adults reported at least one incident of impaired driving in 2010, a decrease of 30% from 2006.

Not so surprisingly to Houston car accident lawyers, men accounted for 81% of drunk driving episodes.  Young men between the ages of 21 and 34 accounted for 32% of drunk driving episodes, even though they comprised just 11% of the total driving population.

The risks of drunk driving were also greater among binge drinkers, or those who drink excessively.  At least 85% of the drunk driving episodes involved binge drinkers.  What I also found interesting as a Houston car accident attorney was that episodes of drunk driving were higher among persons who failed to wear their seat belts, compared to those persons who said that they always wore seatbelts.

The conclusions to be drawn from the study are:

Incidents of drunk driving have been declining substantially over the past five years

However, rates of drunk driving continue to remain high among young male drinkers, binge drinkers and those who do not wear seatbelts.  It is these groups that law enforcement officers need to target to reduce the numbers of intoxicated driving accidents.

Vuk Vujasinovic is a Board Certified Houston personal injury attorney who practices Houston auto accident and other personal injury cases.

For more info on how Vuk can help you with your potential case please call him at (877) 724-7800 or fill out the contact form on the right.

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