Drunk driving is a major safety threat across Indiana. You never know when an impaired driver might lose control, crash into your car, and cause serious harm to yourself and anyone else inside.
Car crashes caused by DUI can happen virtually any hour of the day. But they do tend to occur at certain times more often than others, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Fatal drunk driving accidents on the clock
According to an NHTSA study of fatal collisions in 2009, about 66 percent that occurred from midnight to 3 a.m. involved drunk driving. For the following time period (3–6 a.m.), about 52 percent of deadly collisions involved a drunk driver; the percentage was 46 percent for 9 p.m. to midnight. This makes sense when we think of drivers leaving a bar, restaurant, nightclub or party late at night after consuming several alcoholic beverages.
However, drunk driving Americans kill people at every time of day and night. Of the fatal crashes that happened between 9 a.m. and noon, nine percent involved an impaired motorist. At a time when most of us are commuting to work or school or running errands, some people are driving drunk and putting us all in mortal danger.
What a drunk driver can take away
This information is a reminder that you are never entirely safe from getting caught in a DUI car crash. Such an incident could badly injure you and possibly cause permanent disabilities. Or worse, a drunk driver could take away a beloved family member. Such tragedies have financial as well as emotional costs to the victims and their families. A stranger’s reckless decision to drive after drinking alcohol can take away a parent’s guidance, spouse’s love and support, and a major source of household income.