Top 4 Holidays with High DUI Rates
The 2017 holiday season is officially upon us. While many of us look forward to reuniting with family and taking some much-needed time off, festive occasions often turn ugly when party guests drink too much and proceed to drive home. Each year, police issue thousands of DUI arrests and drunk drivers cause over one-third of roadway fatalities. There are specific times when the rate of DUI arrests peaks. Without fail, these peaks occur around the most-celebrated holidays. Let’s take a look.
Independence Day
Fireworks, pool parties, barbeques and beer. What’s not to love about the Fourth of July? Millions of hot dogs are consumed, and beer sees more sales than on any other holiday. Fourth of July beer sales exceeded a whopping $980 million in 2014. Unfortunately, the excess consumption of beer and other spirits lead to 47% of car crash deaths linked to alcohol in 2014.
St. Patrick’s Day
On St. Patrick’s Day we wear green and drink green beer, or else we get pinched. March 17th marks a particularly rowdy holiday, particularly among college students. From 2009 to 2013, the National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA) found that 276 people were killed in a drunk driving accident on this holiday. That’s almost two out of every five car crash fatalities.
Thanksgiving Week
With plenty of free time on their hands, college students make the most of Thanksgiving break with alcohol-infused activities. In fact, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving Day is nicknamed “Blackout Wednesday” because students get blackout drunk in the relative safety of their homes. In four of the past five years for which data is available, Thanksgiving weekend exceeded New Year’s Eve in terms of alcohol-related driving fatalities, according to the NHTSA.
New Year’s Eve
2018 is almost here, and one way we definitely don’t want to welcome the new year is with a DUI on our hands. Nearly half of all traffic fatalities on January first are a result of alcohol consumption. You can be sure that Orlando-area police will be on high alert for drunk drivers on December 31st and January 1st to get dangerous drivers off the road.
While most cops mean well when they pull a driver over for DUI, they often make mistakes and execute flawed tests. Don’t get caught with a DUI in Orlando without the representation of a determined criminal defense lawyer like William Umansky of The Umansky Law Firm. He holds over 25 years of criminal defense experience and is an active member of the National College of DUI Defense and the national Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Call our office or chat with us live around-the-clock for a free legal consultation
