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New Study Reveals That Alcohol Levels Below BAC Are Still Killing Too Many, Especially The Young

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A new study has turned much of what we know about car accidents caused by drunk driving on its head by revealing that approximately 15 percent of alcohol-related car crash deaths involve alcohol levels well below the legal 0.08 blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit. According to the study, 37 percent of approximately 600,000 auto accident deaths involved at least one driver with alcohol in their system, and 55 percent of the deaths in these cases involved someone other than the drinking driver dying, such as a pedestrian. In addition, accidents that involved alcohol levels below the legal limit were more likely to involve deaths of young people. In other words, the study revealed that BACs below the legal limit are still very much leading to a number of deadly car accidents each year, especially when it comes to young people, and they are not just injuring and killing the drunk drivers.

According to the National Safety Council, almost 39,000 people died in car crashes last year here in the U.S., with an estimated 4.4. million people also suffering from associated injuries so serious that they required medical attention. Drinking and driving sadly remains one of the leading causes of injury-related deaths as well. Until now, much of the research and all of our working knowledge focused on the dangers associated with surpassing the existing legal limit of 0.08 percent. However, this new study highlights the fact that impairment occurs well below the current legal limit in Florida, and places a number of people at risk of serious injury or death. As a result, it is entirely possible that the state could reduce these existing threats by simply lowering the legal limit to 0.05 or 0.03 percent because, arguably, impairment actually begins at a BAC as low as 0.03 percent.

Lowering The BAC Limit Could Save Lives

In fact, in an attempt to address some of these fatalities, one U.S. state (Utah) and several countries did lower their BAC limit to 0.05 percent, and the study found that this move was associated with a nine percent decrease in the likelihood of a crash occurring that involved alcohol levels below the legal limit. As a result, groups such as the National Transportation Safety Board are now recommending that every U.S. state reduce their legal BAC limit from 0.08 to 0.05, or even lower, to 0.03 percent.

Does This Study Redefine Careless Driving? Contact Our Florida Car Accident Lawyers with Questions

As a result of this study, arguably any driver who drinks any amount of alcohol is behaving recklessly by getting behind the wheel, and can cost an individual and their family everything if an accident occurs. If you have suffered due to such an accident, contact our Jacksonville personal injury attorneys at Douglas & Douglas, Attorneys at Law today to find out how we can help.

Resources:

upi.com/Health_News/2020/03/16/Alcohol-levels-below-legal-limit-involved-in-many-car-crash-deaths/7001584383497/

abcnews.go.com/Politics/car-crash-fatalities-declined-slightly-2019-nsc-numbers/story?id=69108527

/who-is-liable-for-injuries-deaths-on-cruise-ships/

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