Drinking and driving is a practice that is never accepted in any part of the country. Drinking alcohol causes impairment in nearly all activities you may try to complete, especially your driving skills. In 2009, there were 30,797 cases of crashes, about 9,813 of which were cases of impaired driving; 32% of them involved DUI (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 2009).
Unfortunately people still make the mistake of driving impaired in Arizona. Just last week, an off duty police officer endangered his own son’s life. He is now in jail after drunk driving his son to school in Surprise, Arizona. He was charged with an aggravated DUI and endangerment, both felonies.
The 39-year-old police-driver drove his 7-year-old son to school last Wednesday morning while intoxicated (KPHO 4/14/11). He missed a turn, drove on the sidewalk, struck a signal pole, went on to hit another school zone sign and sideswiped a car twice in its rear end.
He was also given a drug test and was found to have a nervous system depressant in his blood. He later denied taking any drugs except that he took a Nyquil the night before, which he claimed was the cause of his grogginess.
There are many types of substances that can affect the way we think, our body’s condition and our capabilities—even legal drugs. If you are taking any medications that could effect your alertness, try to avoid driving or participating in other potentially dangerous activities until you know how it will effect your body. If you have had anything to drink, please do not get behind the wheel—find a designated driver or call a service to get you home safely.
If you are a victim of an Arizona drinking and driving accident, then give us a call at (602) 267-1280 for some advice. We can answer your questions and hopefully help you get the compensation you deserve.
