Charleston Personal Injury Attorney |<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s the buzz, tell me what\u2019s a-happening, what\u2019s the buzz, tell me what\u2019s a-happening . . . .\u201d Andrew Lloyd Webber\u2019s 70\u2019s rock musical Jesus Christ Superstar posed the question. And I have the answer:<\/p>\n
\u201cThe buzz\u201d is achieved by drinking alcohol to a BAC level of 0.01 to 0.07 percent, less than the 0.08 BAC of drunk driving. And \u201cwhat\u2019s a-happening\u201d is that lots of folks are going to be doing it between now and New Year\u2019s Day and getting behind the wheel. They\u2019re going to think \u2013 mistakenly \u2013 that because they are only buzzed, rather than drunk, they\u2019re unlikely to cause an accident.<\/p>\n
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, however, have found that even \u201cminimally buzzed\u201d drivers are more often to blame for fatal car crashes than sober drivers. After analyzing statistics from the nationwide Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), they concluded: \u201cThere appears to be no safe combination of drinking and driving . . . .\u201d There is no sudden transition from sober (blameless) to drunk (dangerous). Rather, the progression is even and linear from a BAC of 0.01 to BAC 0.24. Even a small amount of alcohol can cause a fatal crash.<\/p>\n
Thus, the campaign to reduce highway deaths has expanded to include, in effect, DWB as well as DWI. Take the online campaign of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in partnership with AdCouncil. Readers are urged to take the following pledge:<\/p>\n
I\u2019m going to be smart;
\nI won\u2019t drive while buzzed.
\nEven just one too many drinks can impair my driving and lead to devastating consequences. It\u2019s just not worth it. Buzzed driving is drunk driving, so I\u2019m going to make sure I make responsible choices that don\u2019t endanger myself and others.
\nSo far, more than 18,000 people have pledged not to drive while buzzed. But that\u2019s just a drop in the mug, so to speak, considering the millions of people on the roads during the holiday season.<\/p>\n
According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 2 to 3 times more people die in alcohol-related wrecks from Thanksgiving through New Year\u2019s Day than at other times of the year. Forty percent of traffic fatalities during the holidays involve a driver who is alcohol-impaired, compared to 31 percent for the rest of the year.<\/p>\n
From November 26 to November 30 this year, seven people were killed in traffic accidents in our state, according to the South Carolina Department of Public Safety. Within the next two weeks, two more high-fatality holidays will occur and it\u2019s likely that the statistics this year will follow the usual pattern. It\u2019s such a shame: the late-year holidays should be times of joy and celebration, not occasions that will forever after be linked to many families\u2019 last memories of their loved ones.<\/p>\n
If you or your loved ones are harmed by a negligent driver \u2013 whether it\u2019s someone with a BAC over the legal limit or a party-goer who \u201cjust\u201d has a buzz on \u2013 call the Louthian Law Firm. With more than eight decades of combined legal expertise, we\u2019ll be glad to set up a free initial consultation so we can review the details of your accident and give you seasoned advice after the holiday season\u2019s happenings.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Charleston Personal Injury Attorney | \u201cWhat\u2019s the buzz, tell me what\u2019s a-happening, what\u2019s the buzz, tell me what\u2019s a-happening . […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19293","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n