Drunk drivers make Georgia’s roads more dangerous for all of us. 40% of all traffic fatalities are alcohol related. Impaired drivers pose a risk for you and your family. If you have been injured by a drunk driver, please call Jason Schultz, Georgia's drunk driving death and serious injury attorney.

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Georgia Drunk Drivers

Each year in Georgia, there are approximately 500 car crashes per 10,000 drivers. Car accidents are accepted as one of the risks inherent in driving a car. But some drivers make Georgia’s roads incredibly dangerous by driving while intoxicated.

Every 30 minutes another driver dies in an alcohol-related accident. While alcohol is a factor in only 6% of all traffic accidents, it is a factor in over 40% of all fatal crashes. This is because drivers who are under the influence of alcohol are typically driving faster, more recklessly, and are less able to step on the brakes to avoid collision or even slow down. In Georgia, in 2003, alcohol related traffic fatalities accounted for 30% of all deaths on the highway.

Under Georgia law, it is illegal to drive if you have a blood alcohol content of .08 or greater. Additionally, if you have consumed enough alcohol that it is “less safe” for you to drive than usual, you can be convicted of a DUI. First offenders in Georgia receive a mandatory 24 hours of jail time and may be forced to serve between 10 days and 12 months in jail.

Each year, there will be over 500 alcohol related traffic fatalities on Georgia highways. These deaths represent nearly a third of all traffic fatalities. The sad part is the alcohol related deaths are completely preventable if the drunk driver never gets behind the wheel.

Drunk driving of a motorcycle is even more deadly than cars. 41% of the 1,878 motorcyclists who died while driving on American highways in 2005 had BAC levels of .08 or greater.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has begun a media and enforcement campaign entitled “Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest.” to raise awareness about the deadly nature of drunk driving. The federal government has devoted $11 million in funding for the national advertising campaign.

It is especially important that drunk driving programs reach out to younger drivers, who often believe they are invincible on the roads. In fact, car crashes involving underage alcohol consumption costs the nation over $18 billion a year. The Underage Drinking Enforcement Training Center reports that youth traffic crashes cost Georgia about $301 million a year.

Georgia maintains a zero tolerance policy for underage drunk driving. Any driver under the age of 21 who has a blood alcohol concentration of .02 or greater is in violation of Georgia DUI law and will have their driver’s license suspended.