A recent study published by the National Safety Council suggests that drivers across the country are tired enough of major traffic accidents to be willing to accept stricter law enforcement measures on a variety of traffic-related issues, including the ongoing battle against drunk driving.
For instance, just a hair shy of half of those surveyed said that, if it would reduce the overall death toll of fatal car accidents, they would support a law lowering the legal blood alcohol limit from .08 to .05. On the assumption there would be no criminal penalties, over 57 percent of those surveyed said they thought fines and license suspensions would be appropriate for driving while over .05.
The survey also showed strong public support for other tough measures against drunk driving. For instance, over 80 percent supported mandatory ignition interlock devices for all people convicted of drunk driving, with over 70 percent saying that if a person chose not to comply, then they should face house arrest or some other form of electronic monitoring.
Likewise, around two-thirds of those asked said they would favor the police conducting so-called sobriety checkpoints more regularly and, when conducting them, using alcohol-sensing technology to identify drivers who need further screening. On a related point, almost three out of four people said that they would support measures which would allow police to better test people for drugged driving.
Among other things, this study shows that drunk and drugged driving are safety concerns on the mind of Louisianans, perhaps because so many people get hurt or killed in drunk driving accidents in this state every year. Residents of Houma and the surrounding area who have been a victim of a drunk driver may be able to obtain compensation via a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit.