Drunk driving has been on the decline over the past decade. Thanks to ride sharing services and heightened education, it’s easier than ever for people to avoid getting behind the wheel when they’ve had too much to drink.
That isn’t to say that society has solved drunk driving. There is still work to do to eliminate the problem. A good place to start would be addressing the most common group of offenders: young men.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says males 16-24 years old make up 42 percent of drunk driving fatalities. This is a sad statistic made worse by the fact that males 21-34 years old comprise 53 percent of drunk drivers.
Looking broadly , 80 percent of drunk drivers are men.
An epidemic
Most people know on a basic level that drinking and driving is bad. It’s an unnecessary action that jeopardizes the lives of both the driver and any other road occupants. Among the reasons driving under the influence is regarding as dangerous is because of impaired judgement. It’s likely this same judgement that leads wiser individuals to risk their life and lives of others.
Remember, there were over 10,000 drunk driving-related fatal crashes in 2017. If young men account for over one-half of these, that means more than 5,000 of them involved males. it’s important that we do what we can to educate them on the dangers of drunk driving and alternatives to avoid getting behind the wheel after drinking.
What to do after an arrest
Time is of the essence with drunk driving cases. Finding a good lawyer is critical but many don’t react quickly enough. The defendant may be concerned about their license and criminal record but that is further reason to contact a lawyer as soon as they can. For instance, there is a week deadline to arrange a hearing with the Department of Motor Vehicles after receiving a license revocation notice and waiting days can be detrimental to their case.
It’s only natural for a parent to feel frightened or shocked by their child’s DUI arrest. You may feel concerned about how this affects them immediately and in the long term. What your child needs after a DUI arrest is decisive action to minimize the negative consequences as much as possible.