There’s never an excuse (or reason) for drunk driving. Ever.
It only takes 1 mistake to change — or end — your life or someone else’s.
Drunk driving is operating a vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08% or higher. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 1 in 3 U.S. traffic fatalities involves a drunk driver. That’s about the same as in New York, where statistics show that 30% of traffic fatalities are the result of drinking and driving.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported that New York had 943 total traffic fatalities in 2018. Over 300 of those were in alcohol-related crashes. Among survivors in fatal crashes, 57 (8 percent) reported BAC results.
Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Alcohol affects both the central nervous system and the brain. Here’s how:
Even very small amounts of alcohol can affect how you drive. The NHTSA describes these effects on driving at BAC amounts below and above the legal limit:
BAC | General effects | Effects on driving |
---|---|---|
0.02 |
|
|
0.05 |
|
|
Legal limit | ||
0.08 |
|
|
0.10 |
|
|
0.15 |
|
|
The only way to know your BAC is to use a blood test or Breathalyzer. But there are several factors that affect your BAC, and each factor is individual to your body and its condition at a particular time. You can’t assume that because you and a friend had the same amount to drink that you have the same BAC — your bodies will metabolize alcohol differently.
By the same token, you should never assume that if you drink the same amount today as you did yesterday you’ll have the same BAC. There are many factors that can change how your body is affected by alcohol from one day to another.
There are 6 factors that affect your BAC:
You can’t “sober up” more quickly than your body allows. Your body processes approximately 1 drink per hour, and you really can’t hasten the process — you just have to wait until your body metabolizes the alcohol and you become sober.
There are several offenses and criminal charges for drinking and driving in New York:
The New York State DMV provides this summary of penalties for drunk driving violations:
Violation | Mandatory fine | Maximum jail sentence | Mandatory driver license action |
---|---|---|---|
Aggravated Driving While Intoxicated (AGG DWI) | $1,000 - $2,500 | 1 year | Revoked for at least 1 year |
Second AGG DWI in 10 years (E felony) | $1,000 - $5,000 | 4 years | Revoked for at least 18 months |
Third AGG DWI in 10 years (D felony) | $2,000 - $10,000 | 7 years | Revoked for at least 18 months |
Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) or Driving While Impaired by a Drug (DWAI-Drug) | $500 - $1,000 | 1 year | Revoked for at least 6 months |
Second DWI or DWAI-Drug violation in 10 years (E felony) | $1,000 - $5,000 | 4 years | Revoked for at least 1 year |
Third DWI or DWAI-Drug violation in 10 years (D felony) | $2,000 - $10,000 | 7 years | Revoked for at least 1 year |
Driving While Ability Impaired by a Combination of Alcohol/Drugs (DWAI-Combination) | $500 - $1,000 | 1 year | Revoked for at least 6 months |
Second DWAI-Combination in 10 years (E felony) | $1,000 - $5,000 | 4 years | Revoked for at least 1 year |
Third DWAI-Combination in 10 years (D felony) | $2,000 - $10,000 | 7 years | Revoked for at least 1 year |
Driving While Ability Impaired by Alcohol (DWAI) | $300 - $500 | 15 days | Suspended for 90 days |
Second DWAI violation in 5 years | $500 - $750 | 30 days | Revoked for at least 6 months |
Third or subsequent DWAI within 10 years (Misdemeanor) | $750 - $1,500 | 180 days | Revoked for at least 6 months |
Zero Tolerance Law | $125 civil penalty and $100 fee to terminate suspension | None | Suspended for 6 months |
Second Zero Tolerance Law | $125 civil penalty and $100 re-application fee | None | Revoked for 1 year or until age 21 |
Chemical Test Refusal | $500 civil penalty ($550 for commercial drivers) | None | Revoked for at least 1 year, 18 months for commercial drivers. |
Chemical Test Refusal within five years of a previous DWI-related charge/Chemical Test Refusal | $750 civil penalty | None | Revoked for at least 18 months to 1 year or until age 21 for drivers under age 21, permanent CDL revocation for commercial drivers. |
Chemical Test Refusal - Zero Tolerance Law | $300 civil penalty and $100 re-application fee | None | Revoked for at least 1 year. |
Chemical Test Refusal - Second or subsequent Zero Tolerance Law | $750 civil penalty and $100 re-application fee | None | Revoked for at least 1 year. |
Driving Under the Influence (out of state) | N/A | N/A | Revoked for at least 90 days. If less than 21 years of age, revoked at least 1 year. |
Driving Under the Influence (out of state) with any previous alcohol-drug violation | N/A | N/A | Revoked for at least 90 days (longer term with certain prior offenses). If less than 21 years of age, revoked at least 1 year or until age 21 (longest term). |
Additional penalties might be assessed for multiple violations or other aggravating circumstances.
Thanks to nationwide and local campaigns to raise awareness about drunk driving, numbers of alcohol-related fatalities are slowly declining. However, you should still be wary of your own alcohol consumption and that of your family or friends.
Be a responsible driver by following these 4 tips:
Your best defense to becoming a victim of a drunk driving injury is to know the signs of a drunk driver. Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) offers these signs of drunk driving:
If you were in a collision with a drunk driver, you should follow the same steps as you would in any car accident with respect to gathering information and evidence and getting a medical evaluation. New York is a no-fault insurance state, which means your first claim should be to your own insurance for any medical treatment you require as a result of the accident.
If you suspect that the driver is drunk, call 911. A police report is important after any accident, but especially if the driver is drunk. If the driver flees the scene, try to get as much information as possible. If you can quickly write down or photograph the car’s license plate, make and model, and color, that will be helpful to the police in finding the driver.
If the driver remains at the scene, let the police handle them. You don’t want to put your own safety at risk if the person is violent or behaving erratically.
Under some circumstances, New York will allow a business owner to be held liable for overserving a driver. New York’s Dram Shop Act provides a cause of action to someone who was injured as a result of a drunk person who drank alcohol that was unlawfully sold or provided. A business is prohibited from selling alcohol to a person who is “actually or apparently” under the age of 21 and to a person who is “visibly intoxicated.”
To make a claim against a business that provided alcohol to someone who then caused an accident, you need to prove that:
New York also has a social host law, which allows a person injured by a minor who was intoxicated to sue the person who provided the alcohol, even if it was a private person (i.e. not a business). This would be in situations where adults serve alcohol to minors in their home. Social host law does not apply to serving alcohol to other adults.
Your New York no-fault insurance should cover some medical treatment, but if your injuries are very severe, it might cost more than the maximum limits on your policy. If your economic (financial) damages total $50,000 or more, you can pursue a legal claim against the drunk driver. You would first make a claim against the driver’s liability insurance policy.
You can receive pain and suffering damages if you have a serious injury like a fracture, limb loss or disfigurement, or the death of a family member.
If insurance doesn’t cover your costs, you’re entitled to these damages:
Since a drunk driving accident can be more complicated than a regular accident, you might want to call a lawyer who can help you through the claims process if you were seriously injured.
If you caused an accident while driving drunk or received a violation or other penalty, you should either seek the advice of a criminal defense lawyer or you’ll be assigned a public defender.
A New York personal injury lawyer understands the law and knows what to do in order to help you get the full financial recovery you need after an accident. The Enjuris personal injury law firm directory can help you find a lawyer near you who’s ready to take your case.