Speeding and drunk driving continue to pose risks

It might seem normal to you and many other people in Connecticut that you make arrangements to be safe when going out to an event at which alcohol will be served. You might choose to identify one person in your group to be the designated driver or you might opt to use ridesharing or public transportation options. Either way, safety is a priority for you. Unfortunately, it seems that not everyone in Connecticut takes their safety or the safety of others quite as seriously.

According to the records provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the number of people killed in Connecticut in accidents involving drunk driving or speeding increased every year between 2014 and 2017. These are completely unnecessary deaths and drivers always have other options besides driving when drunk or speeding.

In 2014, 97 people died at the hands of drunk drivers statewide. The following two years saw an increase first to 100 and then to 116. In 2017, 120 lives were lost in alcohol-related accidents and represented 43 percent of all vehicular fatalities in Connecticut. Excessive speed was a factor in 69 deaths in 2014, 77 deaths in 2015 and 82 deaths in 2016. In 2017, 88 people were killed in crashes in which speeding was identified as a factor, representing more than 31 percent of all statewide fatalities that year.

If you would like to learn more about when and how to seek help after being involved in a crash caused by a drunk or speeding driver, please feel free to visit the car crash assistance page of our Connecticut motor vehicle accident and personal injury website.