Study Points to Binge Drivers and Crash Risks
Binge drinkers cause many of the thousands of drunk driving accidents that take place in New Jersey every year, but a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that the risk from these drivers is far greater than we think.
According to the study, one in every ten binge drinkers has driven off within two hours of drinking heavily. Even more disturbing is the fact that half of these motorists drank at a drinking establishment, like a bar or restaurant. The study surveyed 14,000 binge drinkers (people who drank five or more alcoholic drinks on a single occasion, at least once a month) and measured the chances that a binge drinker will drive off in an intoxicated state. Twelve percent of the respondents said that they had driven a car within two hours of a heavy drinking session. More than half bought their drinks at a pub, bar or other establishment. Half of the drivers who bought the drinks from such establishments, had consumed more than seven drinks, while a quarter had consumed at least ten. The CDC researchers are calling on licensed drinking establishments to be responsible while serving their patrons.
New Jersey’s dram shop liability laws allow victims of a drunk driving accident to sue the establishment that sold or served the motorist responsible for the accident. Victims can sue for such recklessness by establishment owners, but the laws do not require that these owners monitor the patron's alcohol consumption. Most states have some version of such laws, but enforcement has been poor, because of a resource crunch.
In the absence of aggressive enforcement of these laws, drinking establishments have a greater duty to play their part in saving lives, by exercising responsibility while serving patrons.
Scott Grossman is a Bergen County car accident lawyer, representing injured victims of auto accidents in Bergen, Monmouth, Passaic and Ocean Counties, and across New Jersey.
