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Over the past few decades, researchers have noticed an alarming trend – the number of women facing drunk driving charges has increased significantly. While men continue to account for the majority of drunk drivers in the United States, the number of women participating in this hazardous behavior has risen steadily.
The Bureau of Justice reported that women made up 9 percent of all drunk driving arrests in 1980. Just three decades later, women now make up about 25 percent of all arrests for driving under the influence in the country.
Researchers at the Traffic Injury Research Foundation have attributed this increase to the rise in single women who are responsible for their own transportation. After interviewing around 200 women who had been convicted, the researchers found that many did not have a significant other and most were recovering from a recent traumatic event in their lives, such as the death of a family member.
The number of intoxicated men behind the wheel who are killed in motor vehicle accidents is also much higher than women. In fact, approximately 40 percent of all male drivers who died in auto accidents were intoxicated at the time of the crash. In comparison, just 20 percent of female motorists killed in collisions had their blood alcohol higher than the legal limit.
Avoid a dangerous drunk driving accident in Mississippi
Drunk driving accidents actually make up a smaller percentage of the total traffic fatalities in Mississippi than the country as a whole. According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving, 149 people lost their lives in drunk driving accidents in Mississippi in 2011. In total, those fatalities accounted for 24 percent of all the traffic deaths in the state that year.
Across the country, drunk driving accidents are responsible for approximately 31 percent of all traffic fatalities, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In total, over 10,200 people lost their lives in drunk driving collisions in the United States in 2010.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a motor vehicle accident caused by a drunk driver in Mississippi, you may be entitled to compensation to account for the harm caused in the collision. In such cases, consulting with a knowledgeable personal injury attorney will ensure your rights are protected.
