Drunken drivers produce sobering statistics

The guy arrested for drunken driving was traveling on his motorized La-Z-Boy recliner complete with headlights and, of course, a drink holder. This one-of-a-kind vehicle was powered by a lawn mower engine and likely did not have license plates.

And then there was the crew that kicked the pilot off the commercial jet because he was apparently intoxicated.

Then there were the 11,773 people who died in alcohol-impaired crashes in 2008. The slightly good news was that fatalities were down 9.7 percent from 13,041 in 2007. The bad news is that alcohol-impaired crash fatalities accounted for 32 percent of all crash fatalities in 2008, the third year in a row the figure topped 30 percent.

The FBI estimates that 11/2 million drivers were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics in 2008, and that's really scary.

At least drunken driving is defined in all states as having a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 percent or higher, and the states all have zero tolerance laws prohibiting drivers under the age of 21 from drinking and driving. In general, the blood alcohol content level is .02 percent for an arrest.

Here's something not to be proud of for women drivers. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported an increasing number of women drove under the influence between 2007 and 2008. While the overall number of drunken driving arrests were down nationwide, the number of impaired female drivers involved in fatal crashes increased in 10 states and remained flat in five others.

Drunken drivers by age group is a hot topic every year. NHTSA reports that the number of people 16 to 20 years old who were killed in crashes involving a drunken driver or motorcycle operator rose 3.9 percent in 2006 compared with the previous year (the latest data available). In the 21- to 34-year-old age group, the number of DUI fatalities rose 0.7 percent for the same period, while fatalities dropped for all other age groups during the same period.

Here's something else to keep in mind: Georgia has one statute regarding commercial servers such as bartenders and another for social hosts, but both have limitations. Only Tennessee has a statute regarding commercial servers only.

Alabama has statutes for commercial servers and social hosts but there are limitations on the state's courts. South Carolina, meanwhile, allows for some liability for commercial servers and limitations regarding social servers and guests under 21 years of age.

From an insurance perspective there is nothing but trouble for the intoxicated drivers and their passengers as well as other drivers and passengers involved in a collision.

For the convicted driver, there's likely to be points on the driving record, possible jail time and an almost certain increase in auto insurance rates, or even the insurer's decision to not renew the auto policy, forcing the motorist to seek insurance with another company at a higher rate or to obtain auto insurance from the state's insurer of last resort, which usually means very high rates.

If a traffic crash is involved, there is a high likelihood for resulting injuries, medical expenses plus the possibility, even likelihood, of one or more lawsuits.

The better alternatives: Call a cab or have a designated driver. A DUI charge is not cool or funny.

DAVID COLMANS IS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE GEORGIA INSURANCE INFORMATION SERVICE. CONTACT HIM AT (770) 565-3806 OR DCOLMANS@GIIS.ORG.