How high is your risk of a drunk driving crash in Connecticut?

On Behalf of | Jul 1, 2020 | Car Accidents |

If you are responsible about alcohol consumption, you probably think that most other adults are too. While you might occasionally hear stories of drunk driving crashes on the news, it’s possible that you assume that these are limited or rare occurrences. 

However, the statistics in Connecticut paint a relatively grim picture of how prevalent drunk driving actually is across the state. When compared with the rest of the country and New England, Connecticut has a relatively high rate of fatal drunk driving crashes. How much risk do you really have for a collision caused by a drunk driver in Connecticut?

Connecticut is one of the states with the highest rates of drunk driving deaths

One of the easiest ways to determine how severe drunk driving issues are in a specific state involves looking at how frequently alcohol-impaired drivers are responsible for major collisions.

In 2018, Connecticut’s fatal accidents involved at least one alcohol-impaired driver 39% of the time, making it the third most dangerous state for drunk driving. In Texas, 40% of traffic deaths involve alcohol, and that number goes up to 43% in Montana. In other words, a significant number of crashes happen every year in Connecticut because of drunk drivers.

If you find yourself thinking that 2018 might be an unusual year, that simply isn’t the case. The statistics from 2018 are not that different from 2017, except that Connecticut was a little higher on the list in 2017. At 43% of all fatal crashes involving alcohol, only Washington D.C. had a higher rate of fatal drunk driving crashes that year at a shocking 51%.

Many drunk driving crashes result in injuries as well

Fatal crashes may be the most tragic and attention-grabbing, but they aren’t as common as significant but not deadly crashes. For every fatal drunk driving crash, there are a handful of crashes that produce property damage and injuries to people in the other vehicle involved.

Those who become victims of someone’s irresponsible driving habits may be able to bring financial claims against that drunk driver. A personal injury lawsuit can be an option, even if the state has already prosecuted someone who drove drunk and hurt you or someone you love.

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