National DUI Statistics

Driving under the influence (DUI) is illegal in every state in the country, and individuals arrested for DUI may face serious criminal and administrative penalties. Individuals convicted of DUI may have to pay large fines, complete court ordered community service and drug/alcohol counseling, and their driver's license may be suspended for a specified period of time. In addition, an individual's criminal record will show that the individual was arrested for DUI. This could have a negative affect on the individual's ability to obtain or maintain employment, and it could also cause irreparable damage to the individual's character and reputation. When individuals decide to drive under the influence, they not only jeopardize their own lives but they put the lives of others at risk as well.

National DUI statistics indicate that more than 35 people are killed and over 700 injured in automobile accidents on a daily basis that occur due to driving under the influence. Statistics also indicate that in 2007 more than 1.4 million individuals were arrested for DUI. Approximately 153 children under the age of 14 that died in car accidents in 2006 were the innocent passengers in an automobile driven by an individual under the influence of drugs or alcohol. As these statistics indicate, the impaired driver is not the only victim of a DUI.

As national DUI statistics indicate, millions of impaired Americans get behind the wheel of an automobile each year. Most impaired drivers probably believe that a DUI will "happen to someone else" or the individual may feel confident of his or her abilities to drive while impaired. What impaired drivers normally do not consider are the consequences of their poor decisions. Individuals arrested for DUI are advised to retain the services of a skilled and experienced criminal defense attorney. Because the repercussions for impaired driving can be far-reaching, it is in the best interests of those charged with a DUI to acquire professional legal counsel.