Residents in Pennsylvania are no doubt familiar with the plethora of awareness campaigns launched every year designed to educate people about the dangers of driving a vehicle after consuming alcohol. Along with these campaigns, the laws regarding drunk driving have become stronger in the last several decades in the hopes that stricter penalties may act as a deterrent to people. Unfortunately, there remain far too many people out there who refuse to heed these things and instead choose to act in negligent ways that put innocent people in harm’s way for no good reason.
According to records from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the number of people killed in drunk driving accidents in Pennsylvania last year increased from the previous year. This increase follows reductions in drunk driving deaths for two consecutive years. In 2015, the state recorded 363 vehicular fatalities attributed to alcohol, up from 349 in 2014. The next two years saw the numbers decrease first to 342 in 2016 and then to 321 in 2017. But, in 2018, the state’s impaired accident deaths rose again to 334.
In Lehigh County, a total of 42 people lost their lives at the hands of drunk drivers between 2014 and 2018. Among neighboring counties, only three experienced more automotive fatalities attributed to alcohol.
If you would like to learn more about the importance of seeking compensation after you or a loved one has been involved in an accident caused by a drunk driver and how to do so, please feel free to visit the impaired driving crash assistance page of our Pennsylvania personal injury and motor vehicle accident website.
