Facts About Driving Under the Influence in Florida
If someone is driving under the influence it means that they are impaired due to their consumption of drugs and/or alcohol prior to getting behind the wheel. Although a citation for a DUI in Florida is most often associated with drinking and driving, impaired driving could also be the result of drug use, ranging from illegal narcotics to valid prescriptions. As a matter of fact, in 2019, in Miami-Dade County drugs other than alcohol were a dominant factor in roughly 18% of driver deaths. Studies determined that the majority of these other drugs were taken with alcohol.
While national drunk driving totals have been slowly on the decline, in 2019 more than 28 million United States citizens, over 11% of people 16-years-old and older, have operated some kind of motor vehicle drove while they were under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol at least once.
DUI Facts About Florida
Every year in the United States, over 10,000 people die in accidents involving a driver impaired by alcohol. In the state of Florida:
- 7,573 victims died in Florida accidents involving an impaired driver between 2009 and 2018.
- In 2018, a study determined that 2% of all Florida drivers 18 and up admitted to driving after having too much to drink in the last month.
- In 2019, 60.8 DUI arrests were made per 100,000 people in Miami/Dade County. Nationwide, that total was 1.7%.
- There were a total of 32,177 arrests for driving under the influence in Florida in 2018. Of these, 32,108 were adults and 69 were juveniles.
DUI Offenses in Florida
Even if a DUI conviction is your first, you could still be penalized with a fine of between $500 $1,000. In the event that your blood alcohol content is .15 or greater, and you had a minor in the car with you, the fine will increase to between $1,000 and $2,000. In addition to this, you might be sentenced to jail for anywhere from 30 days to six months.
As with every kind of personal injury case, the endless number of variables makes your claim unique. Someone with a case that sounds very similar to yours could end up with a very different outcome than what you should expect. This is just one of the many reasons why hiring a skilled attorney is beneficial to your Florida personal injury claim.
Your Florida personal injury attorney will know the most thorough and efficient way of collecting vital evidence that proves you were not at fault for the accident. Establishing this fact is essential to the success of your Tampa personal injury case.
If you have sustained injuries during any kind of accident that was caused by another person’s negligence or carelessness, there is evidence out there that will substantiate your claim. A Florida personal injury attorney from Fulgencio Law will be able to help you. Call us at (813) 463-0123 to schedule your free Tampa personal injury consultation today.