Ukiah Drunk Driving Injury Lawyers
Ukiah Drunk Driving Injury Lawyers
I’m Ed Smith, a Ukiah auto accident attorney. Have you ever seen someone driving down the road erratically and wondered if they were driving drunk? How many times have you thought to yourself, “where is a cop when you need one?”
How Good Drivers Can Help Keep Our Roads Safe
Did you know you can help save innocent lives while you travel on California’s highways and streets? If you spot someone driving erratically and they appear to be drunk, call 911. Anyone can call 911 and report a drunk driver. It is super important to keep a safe distance from the drunk driver. Never follow him or her trying to obtain vehicle information or you may get hurt or put others in danger. Just give a call to 911 from a safe location with information you recall from what you observed.
What do I say to the 911 Dispatcher?
Helpful information to say when a 911 dispatcher answers:
- Make, Model, and color of vehicle;
- A license plate number is always helpful, even a partial plate number;
- Direction the vehicle was traveling.
Example: Hello, I’m calling to report a possible drunk driver. A male is behind the wheel of a newer model, dark grey dodge. He is heading northbound on 101 right before the Henry Station road exit in Ukiah.
What if the Motorist Isn’t Drunk – Will I Get In Trouble?
No. If it turns out that the person who you reported isn’t under the influence, you will not be in trouble.
Agencies Encouraging Motorists to Drive Safely and Report Drunk Drivers
The following agencies encourage motorists to drive responsibly and safely:
- Department of Motor Vehicles
- California Highway Patrol
- Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control
- Caltrans
- The Office of Traffic Safety, and
- Local law enforcement
Not only can you save a life by reporting drunk drivers, you can also save someone’s life by being their designated driver.
The Perks of Being a California Designated Driver
Did you know in California being a Designated Driver has its perks? The Office of Traffic Safety created an app! DDVIP allows designated drivers to quickly and easily find restaurants and bars near their current location that offer specials and rewards for designated drivers.
You can download the app for free on both Android and iPhone app stores.
What does The Office of Traffic Safety Do?
The Office of Traffic Safety in California (OTS) works hard to eliminate traffic fatalities and injuries. It accomplishes this mission by making grants available to state and local public agencies for a wide variety of helpful programs that enforce our traffic laws, educate our citizens in traffic safety, and provide an effective and varied means of reducing serious injuries, fatalities and economic losses from motor vehicle collisions.
Drunk Driving Statistics
- In 2013 1 in 5 children under the age of 12 were killed in drunk-driving accidents. In over 71 percent of cases, it was the child’s own driver who was intoxicated.
- An astonishing 44 percent of those children weren’t buckled up properly at the time of the crash.
- Approximately 1/3 of all accident fatalities in the Unites States involve an intoxicated driver (with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or higher).
- Women are less likely than men to be driving when a fatal drunk driving accident occurs.
- In the United States a life is taken every 52 minutes due to drunk driving.
- Over 8% of drivers involved in a drunk driving accident have a previous conviction for drunk driving.
- In 2013 of the 10,076 people killed in drunk-driving accidents, 65 percent were the intoxicated person themselves.
- Most drunk-driving accidents happen at night, with only 14 percent happening during the day.
- Motorcyclists have the overall highest rate of alcohol impairment in fatality accidents.
Ukiah Drunk Driving Injury Lawyers and Wrongful Death Attorneys
I’m Ed Smith, a Ukiah auto accident attorney. If you or a loved one has been severely injured or killed by a drunk driver, call the best injury lawyers at (707) 564-1900 or (800) 404-5400 for free, friendly advice.
See my customer reviews on these public rating platforms: Google, Yelp and Avvo (the lawyer rating service).
See my case results on my Past Verdicts and Settlements page.
I am a California member of Million Dollar Advocates Forum. We are a group of trial attorneys throughout the country with multiple million dollar verdicts and settlements.
Source of Ukiah Drunk Driving Injury Lawyers – http://www.ots.ca.gov/Media_and_Research/Campaigns/DUI_Crackdown/default.asp
Image Attribution: Wikimedia Commons Images of the public domain
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