Posted on July 30, 2010 by Scott Grossman

Reports Suggests College Drinking Still a Problem

A new report looks at whether colleges around the country have been able to implement recommendations to minimize college drinking. The report found that many colleges have either failed to effectively implement the recommendations made by the National Institute for Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, or continue to be unaware of these.

The NIAAA made the recommendations back in 2002. The organization had recommended a four-tier program that went all the way from the most effective strategies contained in tier 1, to the least effective ones contained in tier 4. However, a study by the University of Minnesota School of Public Health found that about 98 % of the colleges were providing tier 4 programs, which included alcohol education and awareness programs. These are some of the least effective measures, but most of the colleges are focusing their attention on these. 

 

Just about 50% of the colleges had some kind of intervention program in place. Intervention programs are part of the tier 1 measures, and are some of the most effective programs to minimize college drinking. Intervention can be both on or off campus, but only half of the colleges had any kind of such measures in place. When it came to other recommendations, like restricting access to alcohol on campus, just about 7% of the colleges had any such mechanism in place. Overall, the report found that even the colleges that were implementing the recommendations, had very little success with these.

What the study seems to suggest is that colleges have still not been able to effectively implement recommendations to prevent drinking among college goers. Whether this is because of a lack of resources or lack of will, it's hard to say. However as a concerned citizen and New Jersey accident lawyer who frequently comes across families of victims of drunk driving accidents, I seriously hope that colleges will step up and play their part in minimizing dangers of teen drunk driving.

 

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted on February 26, 2010 by Scott Grossman

Man Charged in Garden State Parkway Drunk Driving Accident

An intoxicated motorist who caused an accident that seriously injured three of his passengers, has been charged with DUI and leaving the scene of the crash. The driver Luis Barrera was driving on the Garden State Parkway in Eaglewood Township, when his car veered off the road, and crashed into a few trees. After the crash, Barrera got out of the vehicle, and pretended to be a witness. He then tried to flee the scene of the crash. He has been arrested and jailed. 

The passengers Ingrid Gomez Reyes, Xikun Zhu, and Walter Torres suffered serious injuries, including broken bones, and had to be admitted to a hospital in Atlantic City.

Every time injury lawyers in New Jersey feel hopeful at the declining rates of drunk driving crashes in the state, comes an accident like the one here.  Incidents like these continue to remind us that there remains a threat from those who believe they have a right to drive when they are a danger to themselves and others.

New Jersey has strong laws that hold intoxicated motorists responsible for their actions. Our dram shop liability laws allowing persons who have been injured by a drunk driver to hold the establishment that served him alcohol, liable for the injuries. We also have strong civil laws that allow victims of drunk driving crashes and families of people who are killed in such accidents to recover compensation for their losses. These help to act as a deterrent to reckless motorists.

Scott Grossman is a New Jersey drunk driving accident lawyer representing injured victims of alcohol-related car accidents in Monmouth, Bergen, Passaic and Ocean Counties, and across the state of New Jersey.

 

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted on November 11, 2009 by Scott Grossman

Avoid Drunk Driving Accidents - Hire a Designated Driver

New Jersey, like most of the rest of the country, has seen a drop in the numbers of drunk driving accident fatalities on its streets every year. However, there still continue to be far too many drivers on the streets driving under the influence, in spite of the prospect of fines, jail time or license suspensions.

Between July 2008 and July 2009, police arrested 37,597 people for drunk driving in the state. According to the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety, 151 people died in drunk driving accidents last year.

One of the measures that experts suggest to avoid driving under the influence - and one that New Jersey auto accident lawyers strongly support - is to have a designated driver, when you go out in a group. Unfortunately, that idea doesn’t always work the way it’s meant to. Designated drivers may find it hard to keep off the drinks themselves, thereby placing themselves and the passengers who trust them, at risk of an accident.  

Enter a designated driver service. These services are not unheard of in New Jersey. But as this feature report shows,  in some places in South Jersey, where finding a cab at night may be next to impossible, a designated driver service is the only thing standing between an intoxicated patron and a serious accident.  For instance, Camden County, and Cherry Hill in particular, seem to have large rates of drunk driving accidents.  Asking a drunk motorist to take a cab home doesn’t work, because it might take hours before a cab shows up outside a bar. A designated driver service, on the other hand, will drive you home in your own car for a fee.  Another car follows your car, picking up the designated driver to take him back.

As a New Jersey auto accident attorney, I support any measures that can prevent motorists from being drunk and behind the wheel. We lose too many of our citizens ever year to drunk drivers, and if we can keep at least a few of these motorists away from the wheel even for a single night, it could mean the difference between life and death for innocent motorists out there.

Tags: , , , , , ,