NTSB: Expand Breath Testing To Reduce Drunk Driving Deaths

Regulators are calling for increased in-car alcohol testing to prevent drunk driving accidents.

2012-12-25

December 25, 2012 (Press-News.org) NTSB: Expand breath testing to reduce drunk driving deaths

Drunk driving is one of the biggest threats to highway safety in the United States. According to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 9,878 people died in drunk driving accidents in 2011 -- an average of one DUI fatality every 53 minutes. NHTSA also determined that, on average, alcohol-related crashes injure one person every 90 seconds in the United States.

In Illinois, drunk driving accidents claimed the lives of 297 people in 2010. Even though 2010's numbers represented a nearly 40 percent drop in the drunk driving death rate since 2000, fatalities are still far too high. This sentiment is even more true when you consider the fact that nearly every drunk driving death could have been prevented had the at-fault driver been responsible enough to realize that he or she was too impaired to drive safely.

Researchers are advancing technology that could help significantly reduce drunk driving fatalities. For years, some convicted drunk drivers have had to install ignition interlock devices in their vehicles. Ignition interlock devices are essentially mini-breathalyzers -- drivers must blow into the device to prove that they are sober before the car will start. Considering how prevalent drunk driving accidents are, government officials and safety advocates are calling for expanded use of alcohol detection technology.

Currently, nearly all states give judges the option of ordering ignition interlock devices for some drunk drivers. However, only 17 states require ignition interlocks for all convicted drunk drivers, including first-time offenders. (In Illinois, first-time DUI offenders are allowed to drive during their suspension period if they agree to have an interlock device installed.) The National Transportation Safety Board thinks that the rest of the country should follow these 17 states -- the agency recently called on states to require ignition interlock devices for all convicted drunk drivers.

In addition, the NTSB called for continued research into technology called "driver alcohol detection system for safety." DADSS technology uses less intrusive touch- or breath-based testing to determine whether a driver is intoxicated. Once the technology is more refined -- and once drivers get used to the idea of pre-trip alcohol testing -- it could be installed as standard equipment in all new cars. The NTSB estimates that widespread use of DADSS technology could prevent more than 7,000 drunk driving deaths each year.

Illinois drunk driving accidents

Drunk driving accident victims in Illinois should know that they have rights. Whenever an accident is caused by another person's negligence -- and drunk driving certainly counts as negligence -- injured victims can seek financial compensation by pursuing personal injury lawsuits. In fatal drunk driving accidents, the victim's survivors can pursue wrongful death actions.

In addition, accident victims may be able to pursue "dram shop" actions against the establishments that sold liquor to the drunk driver. In Illinois, it is illegal for bars to serve alcohol to visibly intoxicated patrons.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a drunk driving accident, talk to an experienced Illinois personal injury attorney. The attorney will be able to evaluate your case to help you understand your options for moving forward.

Article provided by Salvi & Maher
Visit us at www.salvi-law.com

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Is Your Trademark Protected Overseas?

2012-12-25

Is your trademark protected overseas? If your trademark is protected in the United States, this does not ensure its safety in other countries. Before the Internet, national protections seemed to suffice. However, today, someone in another country could be using your trademark. A trademark is a word, phrase, symbol or design, or a combination of these, which provides branding for a company. A business that thinks that its brand equity could potentially expand to other countries should consider filing a trademark to protect its brand rights. Due to the proliferation ...

Unpaid Child Support Payments Leaving An $11 Billion Hole In The Texas Economy

2012-12-25

Unpaid child support payments leaving an $11 billion hole in the Texas economy Texas parents are struggling with the effects of prolonged unemployment and other economic pressures by missing child support payments in record numbers, leaving a gaping, multi-billion-dollar hole in the state's economy. The huge deficit doesn't just apply to missed payments, though; more parents than ever before are also seeking downward modifications of existing orders, most often to account for a loss in income for the paying parent. On the flip side, parents who aren't receiving much-needed ...

ECRI Releases "The Top 10 Health Technology Hazards for 2013"

2012-12-25

Advances in technology can enhance the health care industry, providing various improvements and benefits. However, such developments can also create new opportunities for injury. The Economic Cycle Research Institute, a nonprofit organization that researches the best approaches to improving patient care, recently released a report entitled "The Top 10 Health Technology Hazards for 2013." The institute intends to use the report to raise awareness of the potential dangers associated with the use of particular medical systems and devices. The list is updated ...

Oregon Prescription Drug Crimes -- When Prescription Use Violates the Law

2012-12-25

It's not unheard of for prescription drug use to get out of hand. When you are suffering from a serious medical condition, the right pills can manage a great deal of pain, suffering and discomfort; when the medical condition begins to improve, it is not always easy to stop taking the pills you have come to depend on. But when does prescription drug use cross the line? Under Oregon and federal law, you can be found guilty of a drug crime by misusing or overusing prescription medication; and drivers of motor vehicles need to be aware that even if you are within your prescription, ...

Chinese medicine yields secrets to scientists at The Scripps Research Institute

2012-12-24

LA JOLLA, CA – December 23, 2012 – The mysterious inner workings of Chang Shan—a Chinese herbal medicine used for thousands of years to treat fevers associated with malaria—have been uncovered thanks to a high-resolution structure solved at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI). Described in the journal Nature this week, the structure shows in atomic detail how a two-headed compound derived from the active ingredient in Chang Shan works. Scientists have known that this compound, called halofuginone (a derivative of the febrifugine), can suppress parts of the immune system—but ...

Study shows rapid warming on the West Antarctic Ice Sheet

2012-12-24

COLUMBUS, Ohio—In a discovery that raises further concerns about the future contribution of Antarctica to sea level rise, a new study finds that the western part of the ice sheet is experiencing nearly twice as much warming as previously thought. The temperature record from Byrd Station, a scientific outpost in the center of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS), demonstrates a marked increase of 4.3 degrees Fahrenheit (2.4 degrees Celsius) in average annual temperature since 1958—that is, three times faster than the average temperature rise around the globe. This temperature ...

Fat influences decisions taken by brain cells for production and survival

2012-12-24

Scientists at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have identified two molecules that play an important role in the survival and production of nerve cells in the brain, including nerve cells that produce dopamine. The discovery, which is published in the journal Nature Chemical Biology, may be significant in the long term for the treatment of several diseases, such as Parkinson's disease. The same scientists have previously shown that receptors known as "liver X receptors" or LXR, are necessary for the production of different types of nerve cells, or neurons, in the developing ...

Understanding cell organization to tackle cancer

2012-12-24

Scientists at The University of Manchester have identified how cells know which way up they need to be. The discovery could help in the fight against cancer because in the early stages of the disease the cells become disorganised. Professor Charles Streuli and Dr Nasreen Akhtar of the Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell-Matrix Research have conducted new research that leads to a better understanding of cell polarity. Properly organised tissues are vital to maintaining functional organs and a healthy body. Part of being organised includes cells being in the correct position ...

Research sheds new light on mechanisms of T-ALL, a form of leukemia that primarily affects children

2012-12-24

Acute lymphatic leukemia (ALL) is the most common cancer in children under the age of 14 years. With optimum treatment, approximately 75 % of children are currently cured, but the treatment consists of severe chemotherapy with many side effects. In collaboration with international research teams, scientists at VIB, KU Leuven and UZ Leuven have identified new genetic mutations that lead to T-ALL, a variant of ALL. They have unmasked the ribosome – the molecular machine in the cell that is involved in the production of proteins – as a weak spot in leukemia cells. Their research ...

Neuroscientists find excessive protein synthesis linked to autistic-like behaviors

2012-12-24

Autistic-like behaviors can be partially remedied by normalizing excessive levels of protein synthesis in the brain, a team of researchers has found in a study of laboratory mice. The findings, which appear in the latest issue of Nature, provide a pathway to the creation of pharmaceuticals aimed at treating autism spectrum disorders (ASD) that are associated with diminished social interaction skills, impaired communication ability, and repetitive behaviors. "The creation of a drug to address ASD will be difficult, but these findings offer a potential route to get there," ...

Researchers from MARE ULisboa discover that the European catfish, an invasive species in Portugal, has a prolonged breeding season, enhancing its invasive potential

NTSB: Expand Breath Testing To Reduce Drunk Driving Deaths

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES: