by Brenda J. Shaffer

Created on: May 27, 2008   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

DRUNK DRIVERS INJURE AND KILL

You had a hard day at work. You and a few coworkers decide to go to a local bar or club to "kick back and relax." Do you know who's going to drive you home or how many drinks you're going to have or how your coworkers handle their alcohol? The answer to those questions would quite possibly be "No."

Before you get behind the wheel after having a few drinks, consider some facts and legalities, as well as the consequences for drinking and driving. Do you realize that one person is killed every 30 minutes by a drunk driver? In 2007 alone, an estimated 41% of all traffic deaths were caused by a drunk driver - an estimated 17,600 people died. That's a little more than four times those who were killed during the war in Iraq in 2007 - 4,013 soldiers lost their lives last year.

There are stiff penalties for those who choose to drink and drive. In Pennsylvania, if you have a BAC (Blood Alcohol Content) if .08 and no other DUI (Driving Under the Influence) offenses within the last 10 years, you get a six month maximum probation and a $300 fine. You're also required to undergo a CRN (Court Reporting Network) evaluation, go to AHSS (Alcohol Highway Safety School), and a possible D & A (Drug and Alcohol) assessment and treatment. That's just for a first offense. For a second offense for a .08 BAC, you'll get a mandatory five days to six months maximum jail sentence and a $300 to $2,500 fine, your license suspended for 12 months, a required CRN, AHSS, D & A, and an Ignition Interlock for a year.

These are just a couple of penalties for drinking and driving in Pennsylvania. There are more for a third and fourth offense. Each penalty depends on how many offenses you've had as well as what your BAC is.

This does not include injuries that victims of drunk drivers must face. You see, I am one victim of a drunk driver. I had suffered a few injuries because of an accident caused by a drunk driver. It's a day that I won't forget because, even though it happened nearly 13 years ago, I am reminded of it every day.

How am I reminded? By the pain that I still have that I can trace back to the day of the accident. I had suffered a severe concussion that day from shattering the windshield with my head. Because of that, I constantly have neck pain and was diagnosed within the past year with degenerative arthritis in my neck. My right leg was jarred on the "imaginary brake" found on the passenger side of the car. Because of that, my right hip is a little higher

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