Los Angeles Police Department Cracks Down Heavily on Drunk Drivers over Super Bowl Weekend
Super Bowl Sunday has come and gone, and for the Los Angeles Police Department, it was just another day at work, cracking down on intoxicated drivers. The City’s police officers did not disappoint, and were out in large numbers on Sunday. Officers conducted saturation patrols across the city to arrest drunk drivers.
Super Bowl Sunday is likely the biggest sporting event in the US calendar. Unfortunately, it is also one of the deadliest days of the year, with a large number of drunk drivers on the streets and a high risk of alcohol-related car crashes. In 2008, Super Bowl Sunday was no different. Out of the total number of accidents that day, 49 percent of deaths occurred in accidents involving a driver or a motorcyclist with a BAC level of .08 percent or more.
Nationwide, law enforcement agencies were making use of innovative measures to get drivers to drive sober or get a designated driver. Sobriety checkpoints and patrols were a common theme for many law enforcement agencies across California on Super Bowl Sunday.
Any event that involves sports is also likely to be celebrated with heavy drinking. Add to that the fact that the typical Super Bowl audience consists of young and middle aged men, and you begin to understand why California law enforcement agencies has such a challenge on their hands at this time of the year. It’s tradition to watch a game at a Super Bowl party or at a restaurant or pub. Needless say, spirits can be high and once the game is over, fans are very likely to stumble out of the venue sloshed and in no position to drive.
Every year, alcohol related car accident fatalities account for about 30 percent of all accident fatalities in California. Although fatality rates in these accidents have been dropping steadily, drunk driving continues to be a major safety concern and a challenge for California law enforcement agencies.
Drunk driving fatality statistics are not the same for all people. As accident lawyers in California see, Men continue to be at a much higher risk of dying in a drunk driving accident than women. However, the gap between men and women in DUI crash fatalities seems to be narrowing. The percentage of women involved in alcohol-related car crashes has been increasing slowly.
Besides, young drivers and teen motorists are much more likely to be involved in a drunk driving accident. Motorists between the age of 15 and 20 are more at risk of accidents than any other factor. Among people in this age group, motor vehicle accidents are the number one cause of death, and drunk driving plays a big part in determining those numbers.
Efforts against drunk driving in California must focus harder on women, young male drivers and teen motorists. This could further reduce DUI fatality rates in the state.
The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of drunk driving accidents. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.
The Reeves Law Group is not acting as legal counsel for any party in the matters discussed in this posting.
people driving drunk during the night of the super bowl is to be expected.
@ February 12th, 2010 at 11:22