Drunk driving accidents are 100% preventable. Even so, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that 10,265 people in the United States died from alcohol-related crashes in 2015. That’s one every 51 minutes[1]. Think about that. Every 51 minutes somebody else’s loved one will never come home again because someone chose to drink and drive. The statistics are sobering or at least they should be.
- 1,411 people were injured in alcohol-related auto accidents in Kansas in 2014[2]
- 96 people were killed in alcohol-related auto accidents in Kansas in 2014
- 5,976 alcohol involved car accidents were reported in Missouri in 2014 including 249 fatality accidents[3]
Personal injury and wrongful death attorneys Rick Morefield and Andrew Speicher have helped many individuals and families who have been seriously injured or lost a loved one because of the actions of a drunk driver. We hope there’s a day when their services aren’t needed, but until then they can help victims and their families navigate the process of recovering the financial losses, and offer support to aid emotional recovery.
As you celebrate this holiday season with your family and friends, make these simple choices to keep our Kansas and Missouri highways safer, and to finally end the senseless deaths and injuries suffered in drunk driving accidents.
- Designate a person in your group to stay sober and make sure everyone gets home safely.
- If you’ve been drinking, don’t drive. Call a cab or someone who has not been drinking to take you home.
- Put contact information for local cab and transportation companies in your phone so you always have it readily available.
- If you’re hosting a party, provide information to your guests for local cab and transportation companies, and provide non-alcoholic beverage options.
2016 marks the 30th Anniversary of MADD’s Tie One On For Safety campaign. Visit their website for more information about what you can do to end drunk driving accidents.
[1] http://www.madd.org/drunk-driving/about/drunk-driving-statistics.html
[2] https://www.ksdot.org/Assets/wwwksdotorg/bureaus/burTransPlan/prodinfo/2014factsbook/Alcohol.pdf
[3] http://www.mshp.dps.missouri.gov/MSHPWeb/SAC/crash_data_circumstance_960grid.html