Summertime is one of the most dangerous times to be out on California’s roads, and the Fourth of July holiday weekend is actually one of the deadliest times to be out there. This is, in part, due to an increased number of people drinking and driving during the summer and over the holiday.
Law enforcement agencies in California have continued to crack down on drunk driving in an effort to prevent car accidents. In fact, our state leads the nation when it comes to sobriety checkpoints. Additionally, California is currently experiencing a decline in drunk driving fatalities, which is great news.
Over the Fourth of July holiday weekend, authorities in LA County made a whopping 43 percent more arrests this year than they did last year. About 490 people were arrested on suspicion of DUI this year, while only 343 were arrested last year.
It is good to see our law enforcement agencies working hard to keep drunk drivers off of the roads before they injure, or even kill, someone in a car accident.
When drunk drivers do cause car accidents in California, they can be held responsible both criminally and civilly. The criminal process is handled by the police and the state, while victims and their families are in charge of the civil process. The civil process allows victims to recover compensation for medical expenses and other damages caused by the accident.
Those who are injured in an Oakland drunk driving car accident may wish to seek legal counsel in order to pursue civil action.
Source: NBC Southern California, “LA County July 4 DUI Arrests Jump More Than 40 Percent,” Jason Kandel, July 8, 2013