A Ri Attorney Discusses Drunk Driver Risk On St. Patrick’s Day

Everyone likes to claim Irish blood flows through their veins on St. Patrick’s Day. For many people, though, that means consuming large quantities of alcohol, raising their blood alcohol levels to well above the legal limit and posing a danger to other people when they then try to drive in Providence or elsewhere in Rhode Island.

It’s not that people have “one drink too many.” On St. Patrick’s Day, some people have way too many drinks. According to “Sobering Up,” which calls itself a “blog about drunk driving, alcohol addiction and criminal justice,” three-quarters of fatal drunk driving crashes on St. Patrick’s Day involve a motorist whose blood alcohol level is twice the legal limit. In the name of pretending to be Irish for one night, these irresponsible partiers ignore both common sense and the law.

There Are No Lucky Numbers When You’ve Been Drinking

“Sobering Up” notes 56.1 percent of adults plan to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day (for many, “celebrate” means “drink heavily,” as 29 percent plan to attend a party at a bar or restaurant). Numbers like those lead to sobering statistics like this:

• 69 percent of crash fatalities during post-party hours early on March 18 each year involve drunk drivers.
• 38 percent of the drivers killed had a blood alcohol level over .08.
• 36 percent of the pedestrians killed also had a blood alcohol level over .08.

Behind those statistics are people – accident victims and their loved ones – who are suffering due to careless motorists who give no second thoughts to drinking and driving.

You Need More Than A Four-leaf Clover To Protect Yourself

Even if you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in a responsible manner – avoiding alcohol altogether or making use of a designated driver – you are still at the mercy of motorists who seize the holiday as an excuse to overindulge and get behind the wheel.

If you have been injured in an accident caused by a drunk St. Patrick’s reveler, your world has been turned upside-down. You may be badly injured, facing a lengthy rehabilitation or permanent disability. You can’t work to provide for your family as the bills continue to pile up. An insurance company will try to take advantage of your desperation by offering you far less money than you need or deserve.

Don’t be tempted. Fight back. Personal injury lawyer Mark B. Morse has been handling cases just like yours in Providence and throughout Rhode Island since 1983. His team of attorneys and support staff understand the courts, the law and the state’s complicated insurance system. Put their experience to work for you by contacting the Law Office of Mark B. Morse, LLC, to set up a consultation.