Drunk Driving and Auto Accidents
By Aaron Larson
Law Offices of Aaron Larson
Contents
A disproportionate number of car accidents and motorcycle accidents, whether involving a single vehicle or multiple vehicles, involve drivers who are intoxicated at the time of the collision.
Drunk Drivers and Car Accidents
Due to the effect of alcohol consumption on driving ability and driver reaction time, intoxicated drivers are at a significantly heightened risk of accident, be it a single vehicle accident, or an accident involving multiple vehicles.
Alcohol consumption is a leading factor in fatal motorcycle accidents.
While significant effort has been made to educate the public about drunk driving, and to discourage people from driving while intoxicated or otherwise impaired by the consumption of alcohol, drunk driving remains quite prevalent.
Recovering Damages
Whether or not a drunk driver is at fault for an accident, people will typically assume that the drunk driver was at fault or at least that the drunkenness was a significant contributing factor in the accident. This can make it difficult for a drunk driver to defend against a lawsuit. Juries tend to want to punish drunk driving conduct, and thus judgments may be larger than normal in cases involving drunk drivers.
At the same time, many drunk drivers carry inadequate insurance coverage, or have no insurance whatsoever. It can be very difficult to recover damages from an uninsured or underinsured driver.
Non-Dischargeability of a Judgment
Judgments resulting from injuries caused by a voluntarily intoxicated person are typically non-dischargeable in bankruptcy. This means that a drunk driver who does not have adequate insurance coverage may not be able to avoid paying the judgment by resorting to bankruptcy. As many states will decline to renew the license of a driver who has an unsatisfied judgment against him as the result of a motor vehicle accident, non-dischargeability can have a significant impact on the at-fault driver.
This simple blood alcohol content calculator may help you get a sense for when you should refrain from driving. If you wish to hire a personal injury lawyer, you may find this article on "How To Hire A Personal Injury Lawyer" to be helpful.
Copyright © 2005-2011 Aaron Larson. All rights reserved. No portion of this article may be reproduced without the express written permission of the copyright holder. If you believe you may lawfully use a quotation, excerpt or paraphrase of this article under the Fair Use exception to copyright law, except as otherwise authorized by the author of the article, you must cite this article as a source for your work and include a link back to the original article from any online materials that incorporate or are derived from the content of this article.