Residents in California who are concerned about the risks that drunk drivers pose to them should be interested to learn about a new effort that is attempting to be made to combat this problem. Unfortunately existing laws and public awareness campaigns have not been sufficient to get people to make the choice to put away their keys if they are going to be drinking.
With this in mind, one state lawmaker has introduced SB 970 into the state legislature. The goal of this potential bill is to get more people to do the right thing and use a designated driver or to even perhaps not drink if they are going to drive. Currently the state has a Designated Driver Program in place. Money for this program comes from identified alcohol licensees at a cost of $5 per licensee. If passed, the bill would increase that amount to $10 per licensee.
The additional funding would be used to support a variety of efforts in the program. In 2016 alone, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration records show that 1,059 lives were lost across the state of California due to drunk drivers. The California Highway Patrol adds that nearly 14,000 injuries were reported resulting from more than 35,000 alcohol-related accidents in the same year. Even with the California Attorney General indicating that over 125,000 people were arrested for driving under the influence in 2016, clearly more efforts are needed to keep people safe.
Those injured in a drunk driving accident in California might find learning about their compensation options helpful by talking with a lawyer.
Source: Times Herald News, “Dodd bill aims to reduce drunk driving,” February 7, 2018