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Drunk Driving in Mississippi: Ignition Interlock Devices Can Save Lives

Many states including Mississippi use a combination of strategies to reduce the risk of serious injuries and fatalities caused by drunk drivers. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that millions of people drive under the influence of alcohol annually. Drunk driving claims the lives of approximately 300 people annually in Mississippi with thousands more suffering serious injury.

The issues of preventing repeat DUI offenders is critical because most DUI accidents that result in serious injury or fatalities do not involve first time DUI offenders or those that are very occasional social drinkers. A few statistics regarding the rate of repeat DUI offenses make the problem clear:

• One-third of all DUI convictions involves repeat offenders.
• A drunk driver typically drives drunk 87 times before being arrested.
• Repeat DUI offenders are four times more likely to be involved in an accident with high BAC.
• Drunk drivers that are repeat offender are 1.4 times more likely to be involved in a fatal accident than a first time offender.

While the statistics regarding DUI repeat offenders is disturbing, this data suggest that the best way to address the problem of drunk driving accidents resulting in fatalities and catastrophic injuries is to discourage repeat offenders. DUI policy should be developed to keep drivers with a history of DWI from offending again and support high visibility enforcement of impaired driving laws.

The reality is that those who are repeat DUI offenders pose a substantial risk of causing fatal DUI accidents. It is far too easy to dismiss the risk of being involved in a DUI related accident as a theoretical problem that is unlikely to touch one personally, but one in three persons will be involved in a drunk driving accident during their lifetime.

One of the most effective methods of preventing drunk drivers from re-offending is use of ignition interlock systems. An ignition interlock device is a mechanism, like a breathalyzer, installed on a vehicle dashboard. A driver must exhale into the device before the engine of the vehicle can be started. If the breath sample has a blood alcohol concentration of above a specified amount, usually .02 to .04 percent, the engine cannot be started. The device will also require a periodic breath sample while the driver is traveling. If the sample is not provided in time or the sample exceeds the limit, the device will record the event and set off an alarm until the vehicle engine is turned off.

Ignition interlock devices have been found to be more effective then prison, fines, license suspension and other methods of preventing drunk driving. Statistics indicate that ignition interlock devices reduce the risk of repeat offenses by those convicted of DUI by 67 percent. Drivers with ignition interlocks are involved in fewer alcohol-related accidents than drivers whose driver’s license is suspended following a DUI conviction. Some studies indicate that almost 40 percent of all drivers continue driving after their license is suspended for DUI.

While ignition interlock devices have helped reduce the number of drunk driving fatalities, many Mississippi residents are still injured and killed in accidents with drunk drivers each year. At the Barrett Law Office, our experienced Mississippi drunk driving accident attorneys, represent drunken driving victims and their families throughout Mississippi. Our experienced Mississippi DUI accident attorneys offer a free initial case evaluation so call us today at (662) 834-2376 so that we can fight for the compensation that you deserve.

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$11.8 Million Verdict in Drunk Driving Accident Lawsuit Reveals Valuable Lessons

The destructive impact of devastating injuries and fatalities caused by drunk drivers was again brought home by a $11.8 jury verdict against a drunk driver who rear-ended the victim.  The DUI accident related lawsuit provides a primer on the issues and impact of this type of personal injury lawsuit.  The defendant in the case was a repeat DUI offender who the jury learned was arrested again for DUI a mere week after the DUI accident involving the plaintiff.

The accident occurred when the accident victim was stopped at an intersection as the drunk driver plowed into him from behind.  Because of the circumstances of the accident, the issue of liability was not really at issue, which is often the case in accidents involving drunk drivers.  However, the defense disputed the issue of causation regarding the auto accident victim’s injuries.  The accident victim suffered reflex sympathetic dystrophy, which is a debilitating injury that causes nerves to misfire.  He suffers from sweats, extreme pain, chills and is confined to a wheelchair much of the time.  The condition is so severe that he has not been able to work or drive a car since the accident.

The case shows the challenge of serious physical conditions that do not immediately manifest symptoms until some time after a car accident.  The attorney’s for the other driver’s insurance company emphasized that there was minimal damage to the vehicles so that the serious injury suffered by the accident victim could not have been caused by the impact of the collision.  The attorney’s for the insurance company also relied on the fact the symptoms were not immediately apparent as evidence that the condition was caused by something other than the car crash.  This is why it is important to seek a medical diagnostic consultation in the wake of a car accident even if one’s symptoms seem minor.

The DUI auto accident lawsuit also provides insight into how juries feel about certain types of conduct.  The drunk driver in this case had a history of prior DUI convictions and a DUI arrest the week following the auto accident that resulted in personal injuries to the plaintiff.  The driver also fled the scene making the accident a hit and run accident.  The damages awarded were three times that requested by the attorneys for the plaintiff.

Disputes over the cause and severity of personal injuries are common in DUI related auto accident lawsuits because it is difficult to contest liability by a drunk driver particularly one that drives unsafely because the driver is impaired.  If you are involved in an auto accident caused by a drunk driver in Mississippi, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries including punitive damages.  The attorneys at our Lexington based law firm have been fighting for drunk driving victims since 1933.

If you or a close family member has been injured in a Mississippi car accident with a drunk driver, our Mississippi DUI accident attorneys may be able to help.  We provide a free case evaluation to evaluate your rights to compensation so call us to see how we can help at (662) 834-2376.

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