Motoring during Holiday Weekend Popular for Families; Expect Crack Down on Drunken Driving.
Orinda, CA August 30, 2010 — California and states nationwide are cracking down on intoxicated motorists in time for the popular end-of-summer Labor Day weekend family driving holiday. The Bay Area law firm of Gillin Jacobson Ellis & Larsen (GJEL Accident Attorneys) encourages all drivers to forego alcoholic beverages when operating a motor vehicle every day, regardless of whether it’s a holiday.
In California, there are 450 local agencies cooperating with the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) to crack down on impaired drivers Aug. 20 to Sept. 6, 2010. Motorists on California roadways can expect some 200 DUI checkpoints to snare repeat offenders, those driving on suspended licenses or without insurance, as well as warrant and probation sweeps.
Each state makes it illegal to drive with a Blood Alcohol Concentration of .08 grams per deciliter or higher. Despite these laws, in 2008–the most recent year for which statistics are available–nearly 12,000 people nationwide were killed in crashes involving drivers or motorcycle riders with blood alcohol content of .08 or higher, according to the GHSA. Following the Fourth of July, Labor Day weekend is the second-most deadly period for drivers, with 487 fatalities (40 percent of all road accidents that weekend) according to a 2008 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) report.
In California, alcohol-related injuries decreased 13.6 percent in 2008 (381) from 2007 figures (441), and alcohol-related fatalities remained about the same for the similar period. Overall, California Labor Day fatalities in 2008 (47) decreased 14.5 percent below 2007 figures (55) according to the California Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System. Accidents during Labor Day weekend in California not involving alcohol or a fatality dropped nearly 20 percent in 2008 compared to 2007 data.
“The most recent data available shows encouraging news about the safety of California’s roadways during Labor Day weekend with decreases in accidents and vehicular fatalities,” said Andy Gillin, managing partner of GJEL Accident Attorneys. “Regardless of the statistics, however, no driver can be complacent during road trips. I encourage everyone to stay safe, be aware, and avoid distractions this weekend.”
GJEL Accident Attorneys has published several resources for motorists of all ages, including an interactive map of U.S. states’ driving laws, a Parent-Teen Safe Driving Contract, and an Accident Checklist. Each of these is available at the firm’s News & Resources Center.
About Gillin Jacobson Ellis & Larsen
GJEL Accident Attorneys is a San Francisco Bay Area law firm representing plaintiffs in catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases. Since 1972, Gillin Jacobson Ellis & Larsen has obtained recoveries in more than 99 percent of its cases.
Andy Gillin received his Bachelor’s Degree from the University of California at Berkeley and his law degree from the University of Chicago. He is the managing partner of GJEL Accident Attorneys and has written and lectured in the field of plaintiffs’ personal injury law for numerous organizations. Since 1972 he has been helping seriously injured victims throughout northern California fight & win their personal injury cases. Andy is one of the top awarded & recognized wrongful death lawyers in northern California.