While Las Vegas is known as the Entertainment Capital of the World every day of the year, events such as Super Bowl Sunday attract even more party-goers than usual. Due to the higher likelihood of drinking, the Las Vegas Police Department announced a series of sobriety/DUI checkpoints throughout the city. Sobriety checkpoints statistically save thousands of lives a year by arresting drunk drivers before they cause accidents. In Las Vegas, police announced that their checkpoints would be held between the hours of 4pm (right after kickoff) until 3am. The checkpoints were set up near Flamingo Road, Tropicana, Desert Inn, Valley View Boulevard and Rainbow Boulevard.
Due to the recent emphasis on drugged driving in addition to alcohol-impaired driving, law enforcement announced they would be checking for drugged drivers as well. According to the Las Vegas Police Department, Joining Forces Grant from the Nevada Office of Traffic Safety sponsored the sobriety checkpoints. According to the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA), there were more than 10,000 people killed nationwide in alcohol-related crashes in the year 2010 alone. With staggering statistics like this, it is no wonder that DUI checkpoints are emphasized, especially on holidays and days for major events, like the Super Bowl.
Consider the following drunk driving statistics. The NHTSA also reports that approximately 30 percent of drivers involved in fatal crashes are alcohol-impaired. Impaired driving dramatically increases a person’s risk of being involved in an accident, even after just one drink. FARS data (Fatality Analysis Reporting System) put the fatality risk into more tangible terms, stating that there are approximately 27 people killed in the United States every day as a result of a drunk driving accident. Among drunk drivers, a large percentage of these are young drivers and even drivers under the drinking age. Intoxication mixed with inexperience greatly increases the accident risk.
Shook & Stone, Chtd. represents victims and families of the victims of drunk driving accidents. Although individuals who are arrested for DUI will face both criminal and administrative penalties, victims of these accidents can also take action and they can do so with the help of our firm. We understand that nothing can take away the devastation following this type of avoidable accident, but legal action against drunk drivers and in some cases, establishments that sell alcohol, can result in financial compensation to remediate the cost of damages both physical and emotional. If you would like to learn more about what DUI accident victims can do following a devastating accident, please contact a Las Vegas injury attorney at Shook & Stone today for a free evaluation of your case.
