The role of personal responsibility in preventing car accidents

There is an increased awareness in New Mexico about the dangers of driving while impaired. Many residents of the state have had personal experience with or have seen friends or family members suffer the loss of a loved one as a result of an accident connected to alcohol. While many people understand that driving impaired is unacceptable, statistics show that some still choose to engage in this dangerous behavior.

A report showed that in 2012, more than 4 million adults in the United States admitted to having driven at least one time in a 30-day timeframe while impaired by alcohol. Each one of these drivers ran the risk of creating a scenario where their lives, the lives of their passengers, the lives of other drivers, and the lives of innocent pedestrians could have been irrevocably altered.

President Donald J. Trump released a proclamation making December 2017 National Impaired Driving Prevention Month. The goal of this proclamation partly was to raise awareness about a rising trend in driving while under the influence. In his proclamation, in addition to quoting sobering statistics about alcohol-related accident fatalities, the president emphasized the need for each individual to take personal responsibility when deciding when he or she would get behind the wheel. He also encouraged community leaders, religious organizations and the business community to take steps in helping with the education, advocacy and technology aimed at minimizing the number of impaired drivers on the road.

If a person is the victim of a car accident related to alcohol, he or she may be due compensation for injuries he or she sustained, loss of work or property and other damages. If the accident results in a fatality, the victim’s family may be owed compensation. A personal injury attorney can work with the victim and/or his or her family to help them analyze their case and decide the best approach to take.