The holiday season means more drunk drivers on Virginia’s busy roads and highways, increasing the chance of drunk driving accidents.
Drunk driving is a problem within the state over the holiday season. Research showed that 445 residents were injured and 13 were killed in accidents involving alcohol between Thanksgiving 2021 and New Year’s Day 2022.
Why there are more drunk drivers over the holidays
There are various reasons for the increase in drunk driving accidents during the holidays. Parties and holiday celebrations typically involve alcohol. There are also more people on the road for holiday travel or social activities.
To try to combat this disturbing trend, the Commonwealth recently launched a “Driver Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign.
The campaign involves two components: educating drivers on the dangers of driving drunk and increasing the amount of police on the roads.
Additional numbers of police officers will be on the roads between December 23 and January 2. Along with patrolling the highways, they will set up sobriety checkpoints and individual saturation patrols.
While you can reduce your chance of being in a drunk driving accident by staying sober or not driving when you drink, you cannot control other drivers on the road.
Advocating for you after a drunk driving accident
When you fall victim to a drunk driving accident, you could face serious injuries, loss of work and pain and suffering. This is not how most of us would like to start off our new year.
A personal injury lawsuit could help you receive compensation for the damages you suffer as a drunk driving accident victim. Drunk driving is negligent driving, and negligence is what you must prove to recover compensation.
Proving each element of negligence is complex and involves various factors. You must show that the drunk driver failed in their duty to drive safely, and this failure caused the accident, resulting in your damages.
Establishing these elements is not always as straightforward. Starting your personal injury claim with the help of an experienced attorney is best.