TX Impaired Driving Stats - How Common Is It?

The statistics related to impaired driving are sobering at best. Although there is no doubt about the danger associated with impairment, the numbers show that there are far too many impaired motorists out there. If you’ve been injured by an impaired driver, you need the professional legal counsel of an experienced Texas car accident lawyer.

Impaired Driving Statistics in Texas

Responsibility.Org reports on exactly how common impaired driving is in Texas with the following statistics (all from 2018):

There were 10,511 traffic fatalities involving impairment in the United States, and 1,322 of them happened in Texas.
8 percent of all the traffic fatalities in Texas involved impairment – compared to 28.8 percent at the national level.
While the number of traffic fatalities involving impairment was 3.2 per 100,000 population, the number of traffic fatalities involving impairment in Texas was 4.6.
158 people under the age of 21 were killed in traffic accidents involving impairment in Texas (of the 980 people under the age of 21 who were killed nationally).
The number of people under the age of 21 per 100,000 population who were killed in traffic accidents involving impairment was 1.8 in Texas and 1.1 nationally.

The State of Texas sees more than its fair share of accidents involving impairment.

Impaired Driving Statistics Nationally

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) report on impaired driving statistics at the national level, and they are not encouraging. Consider the following:

The number one cause of death on America’s roadways is impairment.
A traffic accident involving an impaired driver leaves someone injured every 2 seconds in the United States.
A traffic accident involving an impaired driver proves fatal every 51 minutes in the United States.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) fleshes these statistics out with the following:

Nearly a third of all the deadly traffic accidents in this country involve impairment.
In the ten years from 2009 to 2019, there were more than 10,000 impairment-related fatalities annually.
In 2019 alone, there were 10,142 impairment-related fatalities.

Impairment remains a serious problem on roadways throughout our nation.

Impairments Suffered

You know that motorists alcohol impairs motorists, but you may not realize the kinds of serious impairment they suffer – and how they affect their ability to drive safely. Consider the following (shared by NHTSA):

After just a drink or two, with a low BAC – or blood alcohol concentration – of .02, motorists experience losses in both visual function and in their ability to simultaneously perform two tasks.
Once motorists reach the legal limit of .08 percent BAC, they already experience lapses in memory, difficulty concentrating, losses related to controlling vehicle speed, difficulty processing information, and altered perceptions.
By the time motorists reach a BAC of .15 percent, their ability to control their vehicles is significantly altered – as is their focus and their ability to process critical auditory and visual information.

As a motorist’s BAC goes up, so too does the associated risk.

Calculating Your Losses

In order to regain your health and well-being to the best of your ability after being injured by an impaired driver in a car accident, you’ll need to recover on your full range of losses – or legal damages – in your car accident claim. These covered losses can be classified in three basic groupings.

Your Medical Expenses

The medical expenses related to a serious car accident are likely to start with emergency care at the scene and progress to surgery, hospital care, rehabilitation, and beyond. If your injuries prove difficult to treat or lead to secondary health concerns, your medical costs are likely to extend well into the future. Having a complete understanding of the accident-related healthcare needs you can expect into the future is necessary to ensure that this aspect of your loss is well represented in your car accident claim.

Your Lost Income

The recovery process after a car accident can be long and grueling, and you’re very likely to be off the job and to earn less as a result while you’re recovering. If you experience losses related to your ability to earn, your ability to continue advancing your career, or both, the financial damage will be more pronounced – and there can be a related emotional component.

Your Pain and Suffering

The pain and suffering that goes hand in hand with violent car accidents can color every aspect of your recover and is often one of the most difficult losses to master.

Steps You Can Take

Your car accident claim will follow its own unique course. There are, however, basic steps all accident victim can follow to help protect themselves along the way, including:

Don’t put off obtaining medical care because you believe you weren’t seriously injured. Far too often, serious injuries are masked by the shock and adrenaline accident victims experience, and early diagnosis can play a critical role in your ability to fully recover.
By taking your doctor’s orders and instructions seriously, you help to protect your health outcome, and you back up your claimed losses for the insurance company.
Secure a dedicated car accident attorney early in the process. Having professional legal counsel on your side strengthens your ability to protect your claim and to prevail with just compensation that covers your losses in their entirety.
Protect your claim by not providing the insurance company with information that it can manipulate to its own purposes. This involves allowing your attorney to communicate with the insurance company on your behalf (you are not required to provide a statement) and stepping away from social media while your claim is pending.

It’s in Your Best Interests to Have an Experienced Texas Car Accident Attorney on Your Side

The formidable Texas car accident attorneys at The Patel Firm take great pride in our impressive track record of successfully guiding claims like yours toward favorable conclusions that bolster our clients’ rights and recoveries. We care about your claim, so please don’t hesitate to contact or call us at 361-400-2036 today.

Impaired Driving Statistics – How Common Does It Happen in TX?