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Drunk drivers make a choice to drive while intoxicated. Some people argue that intoxication impairs the ability to make smart decisions, but most drunk drivers make the decision to drive while still sober.
They choose to ingest alcohol or drugs, and they choose to put themselves in a position where they have access to a vehicle.
Sober drivers do not make the decision to drive next to a drunk driver. If you have been made a victim of a motor vehicle collision with a drunk driver, call the Marietta drunk driving attorneys at The CEO Lawyer right away.
Depending on the circumstances of your accident, you should be able to seek compensation from the drunk driver for all the damages you have suffered. All drivers on the roads owe the other drivers sharing the road a standard of care to drive safely and not cause harm to others. Drunk drivers have violated that standard of care and should be held accountable.
Driving under the influence of alcohol is illegal in the United States of America. Offenders of this law are charged for their crimes and must face the consequences determined in criminal court.
Some people choose to represent themselves in court, but it is always advisable to hire a professional to navigate unfamiliar territory. The laws surrounding drunk driving are complicated and often changing, with every accident and every case having its own set of unique circumstances that change the way the case should be handled.
Having a drunk driving accident lawyer on your side is invaluable. At The CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm, we offer free consultations for all potential clients.
Have all your documents related to the accident ready before the consultation to maximize the efficiency of the conversation. The police report is especially important, and be sure to have a list of questions ready so we can answer all of them for you.
Marietta Drunk Driving Attorney
Marietta is a beautiful city with many attractions for locals and visitors to enjoy. With its close proximity to Atlanta, it also has a growing amount of traffic.
High traffic volumes are already dangerous and increase the likelihood of collisions, but it also means a higher chance of sharing the road with drunk drivers and more potential victims of those intoxicated individuals.
University Students and Drunk Driving
Marietta is surrounded by colleges and universities as well as many more satellite campuses and higher education institutions. College students are stereotypically known for their consumption of alcohol, and the Atlanta area students are no exception.
Most students drink because of peer pressure or to help alleviate their stress and anxiety from school. The decision to drink alcohol becomes a bigger problem when people are under the legal drinking age of twenty-one and when people also decide to operate a motor vehicle afterward.
What Happens When Someone Underage Drives While Intoxicated?
There are strict penalties for drunk drivers in Georgia. Individuals under twenty-one years old who are caught driving while intoxicated are fined with a misdemeanor.
The young driver must also pay a fine that ranges from $300 to $1,000 and spend 24 hours to 12 months in jail. Within 60 days of sentencing, the driver must complete at least 20 hours of community service as well.
All of this is only for first-time offenders.
When drunk drivers commit a second offense within ten years of the first incident, their fine increases to $600 to $1,000, as does their jail time to 72 hours to 1 year. Community service requirements increase to at least 30 days.
Drunk drivers who receive a third offense of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs within ten years of their first offense are given a high and aggravated misdemeanor. They will have to pay a fine between $1,000 and $5,000 and spend between 15 days and one year in jail.
A minimum of 30 days of community service will have to be served. Repeat offenders of more than 3 DUI charges within ten years of the first offense will be charged with a high and aggravated felony with much higher fines and penalties than the misdemeanors.
What Would Cause Someone to Be Considered Drunk?
In Georgia, a DUI means that someone was driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. According to Forbes, intoxication that will get you charged with a DUI means that you were caught driving while any of the following were true:
- You consumed enough alcohol to make driving less safe
- You have enough of a drug in your system that driving is no longer safe
- You intentionally introduced a toxic substance to your body, such as vapors, aerosols, or glue, and became unfit to drive
- You have any combination of the above substances causing you to be intoxicated enough to be less safe to drive than if you were sober
- Your blood alcohol content is 0.08 or more grams per deciliter while operating a motor vehicle or within three hours after driving
- Your blood alcohol concentration is 0.02 or more grams per deciliter, and you are under 21 years old
- You are a commercial driver with a blood alcohol content of at least 0.04 grams per deciliter
- You have marijuana of any quantity in your system
- You have a detectable amount of controlled substances in your body
How Is Blood Alcohol Content Level Determined?
The amount of alcohol someone has in their system is determined by testing their blood, breath, saliva, or urine. According to DUI.info, a blood test is the most accurate and is typically administered at a hospital or other medical facility.
Testing a person’s breath is the most common method for determining blood alcohol content levels because it is simple, can be administered by police at the roadside, and the results are almost instant. A urine test is the least accurate way to detect alcohol in someone’s system.
Alcohol affects everyone differently, so it’s impossible to accurately guess how many drinks someone can have before becoming legally intoxicated. It is also impossible to know how quickly alcohol will leave someone’s system.
If someone has a blood alcohol content of 0.08 g/dL. or higher, they are considered intoxicated, and they are not able to legally drive.
Georgia is an implied consent state. Driving in Georgia is a privilege, not a right, and this implied consent means that if you decide to drive here, it is implied that you consent to take a blood alcohol content test.
Drunk Driving Accidents
Driving while intoxicated convictions come with harsher penalties when an accident is involved, and the severity of the penalties reflects the severity of the accident. Collisions involving other vehicles or property can also lead to lawsuits against the drunk driver.
Drunk Driving Accidents Causing Harm to Others
When someone causes an accident that severely injures or kills another person, that individual has to live with that guilt for the rest of his or her life. There will also be consequences from the court, criminal charges, lawsuits, and a loss of the privilege to drive, among other penalties.
How Can a Marietta Lawyer Help a Drunk Driver?
The ways a car accident lawyer can help in any case always depend on the unique circumstances of each individual and situation. An attorney helps by negotiating on the offender’s behalf to lessen jail time and fines.
A common way to avoid going to jail is to go to a rehabilitation facility instead. Judges are able to give credit to individuals who spend time before going to trial in a treatment facility, focusing on chemical dependency day for day.
This credit for time spent seeking treatment does not apply to all repeat offenders.
Driving under the influence of alcohol comes with serious consequences, and Georgia is serious about dealing with drunk drivers. Offenders need an attorney’s advice on what to do and to understand how the law will affect their case.
A lawyer can keep a bad situation from getting even worse.
What Are the Most Common Accidents Caused by Drunk Drivers?
Drunk drivers cause a multitude of problems on the roads. The most serious situations are collisions.
Survivors of collisions with a drunk driver often have serious injuries that are life-changing. Some common accidents caused by drunk drivers are as follows:
- Rear-End Collisions – People under the influence of alcohol have a diminished ability to judge distances and often drive too closely to the car ahead of them. The drunk driver will often hit the rear end of the vehicle if it slows or stops, but they may also collide without changing speed.
- Head-On Collisions – Drunk drivers tend to have difficulty driving in a straight line. They swerve back and forth within the lane, and sometimes, they continue past the lines on the road right into oncoming traffic. Alcohol also makes people drowsy, and drivers can drift into oncoming traffic after having fallen asleep.
- Motorcycle Accidents – One of the main causes of motorcycle accidents is riders being under the influence of alcohol. Operating a motorcycle requires skill and concentration, both of which are greatly reduced by alcohol.
Contact a Marietta Drunk Driving Accident Law Firm Today
If you or someone you know has been injured in an accident involving a drunk driver, call us today so we can get you the compensation you deserve. At The CEO Lawyer, consultations are free, and you can rely on our skills and experience.
Call us as soon as possible at (833) 254-2923 for a complete case evaluation with our Marietta drunk driving accident lawyers.