Florida Car Accident Lawyers
The Dangers of Youth and Alcohol

It seems that everyone understands the obvious dangers that arise when anyone combines the use of alcohol with driving a vehicle. This is never a good decision, and the only differentiation that could be made between instances of drinking and driving is the degree of negativity that results. Unfortunately, despite all of the noble efforts of different entities public and private, drinking and driving remains one of the leading causes of Florida car accidents.

Even more unfortunate is what appears to be a direct link between alcohol-related Florida car accidents and the ages of the drivers involved. Below is a brief breakdown of these statistics, and if you or someone you love has been harmed by a drunk driver, seek the help of Florida car accident lawyers immediately.

Florida Car Accident Statistics Where Alcohol Was a Factor

Overall, more than 22,000 Florida car accidents during the calendar year of 2008 were recorded with alcohol as a factor. Of those 22,000-plus alcohol-related Florida car accidents, more than 15,000 people were injured and more than 1,100 were killed. While these are troubling numbers by themselves, the level of alarm should rise for anyone who sees the age breakdown, which is discussed below.

One look at the Florida car accident statistics from 2008 clearly reveals that drivers in their 20's are those that are involved in alcohol-related crashes at the highest rate. The highest rate of alcohol-related accidents when compared to age comes at 21 years old, which is obviously the year that people reach the legal drinking age. In 2008, 21-year-olds accounted for 650 alcohol-related crashes, which equates to a rate of 25.89 per 10,000 licensed drivers of that age. 21-year-olds also accounted for 38 fatalities in this regard, which equates to a rate of 1.51 per 10,000 drivers of that age. The age of 21 is leads to the highest rate of these incidents.

However, the numbers do not drop off dramatically as people move beyond 21 years old. The rate of overall crashes as described above remains at or near 20 until drivers reach the age of 26, which obviously means that younger drivers are more likely to be involved in alcohol-related Florida car accidents than those of any other age. For the sake of comparison, drivers who are 70 years old and older never climb above a rate of 2.5 when comparing alcohol-related Florida car accidents to the overall number of drivers.

What this means is that while the efforts to curb the practice of drinking and driving have been admirable, there is still much work to be done with those drivers who are in their 20's as compared to other age groups. If you or someone you love has been harmed in an accident, seek the help of Florida car accident lawyers who understand these trends and what to look for when building a case. Contact Bernstein & Maryanoff today to schedule a free initial consultation.