Drunk driving is one of the most common traffic violations in the U.S., and DWI stories are often featured in news articles official reports because of the serious –and often fatal — consequences that occur. That being said, there are a few statistics about driving under the influence that aren’t reported very often, and which might just surprise you:
- About 4,000 people are arrested each day in the U.S. for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol — which seems like a lot, until you realize that about 300,000 people drive under the influence every single day.
- Even though drunk driving violations get most of the attention, driving under the influence of illegal drugs is also a serious crime in the U.S., and doing so can get you arrested under a DUI charge. According to the most recent data collected in 2012, about 10.3 million drivers admitted that they had driven under the influence of drugs at least once within the year. Because field sobriety tests are more effective at determining whether a driver is drunk, many drivers who have taken illegal drugs before getting behind the wheel aren’t caught at all.
- Despite the serious consequences that accompany drunk driving laws, a lot of people who receive a DWI conviction either don’t lose their driving privileges, or only lose them temporarily; this results in many instances of drivers who are charged with DWI violations multiple times. In fact, about one third of all drunk driving arrests involve drivers who have been arrested and/or convicted for driving while intoxicated before.
Driving under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol is one of the biggest problems in the U.S. today, and it might come as a bit of a surprise, but the majority of people convicted of drunk driving honestly know that they’ve made a mistake, and regret their decisions. Links like this.
