Residents in the greater New York City area are fortunate to have one of the nation’s best public transportation systems available to them. In addition, the introduction of ride hailing services offers people yet another viable way to get from one place to another without having to drive on the often congested city streets. This should make it easier for people to avoid driving after they have been drinking. Unfortunately, there are clearly too many people who refuse to do that.
Records from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration show that the state of New York experienced a significant jump in the number of drunk driving deaths from 2017 to 2018. In 2017, there were 288 such fatalities, down from 296 the previous year. Last year, however, a total of 307 people lost their lives at the hands of drunk drivers. These fatalities represented 33% of the state’s total accident deaths. The national average last year was 29%.
Between 2014 and 2018, Nassau and Queens Counties recorded 108 and 101 vehicular fatalities attributed to alcohol, respectively. In Kings County, 77 people died in drunk driving accidents during those five years and another 67 perished in Bronx County. Richmond County had the lowest number of drunk driving deaths over this time at 19.
If you would like to learn more about the importance of seeking professional assistance after you or a loved one has been involved in a motor vehicle accident caused by an intoxicated driver, please feel free to visit the drunk driving compensation page of our New York personal injury website.
