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Nearly half of all Americans travel during the holiday season and Thanksgiving weekend is usually the busiest time on the roads.  Everyone is in a big hurry to get to their destinations and once they arrive, people just want to relax and have a good time.

Thanksgiving is when we pause and express gratitude for our blessings.  We love spending time with family and friends.  The problem is, too many folks see it as a time to drink…and drive.  Last year, law enforcement in South Carolina made nearly 22,000 DUI arrests.  Over 3,500 people were injured in DUI collisions and more than 200 died.  Property damage wrecks exceeded 2,500.  The consequences of drinking and driving are real and local.

Many of us have been at a bar, club, or even a private party, where there’s plenty to drink.  People drink to relax and the alcohol impairs their judgment enough that they assume they’re fine to drive.  It’s not hard to imagine the dangers of someone roaring drunk behind the wheel.  But folks who are just slightly intoxicated can also pose a huge threat on the road.

You’ve probably seen police shows where officers conduct sobriety tests, including blowing into a breathalyzer.  You blow in a straw and a device measures your alcohol level.  In South Carolina, the legal alcohol limit is 0.08.  Some people reach that intoxication level with just two drinks.  Even with a legal blood alcohol content of 0.05, your chances of having a car wreck increase 100% over being sober.  On top of that, legal defense of a DUI charge can easily cost you $10,000 to $30,000—or more.  Of course, the price of causing property damage, injuries, or even death could be far greater.

Here’s a simple truth: DUI wrecks are preventable.  If people who drank too much didn’t get behind the wheel, they wouldn’t crash vehicles, destroy property, or injure others.  Now more than ever, it’s easier to keep intoxicated people from driving- 1) Have a designated driver in your group; 2) Call a cab; 3) Text a friend to pick you up; or 4)  Hire an Uber or Lyft driver to deliver you safely.  The price of that ride is nothing compared to the cost of driving drunk.

Trammell & Mills doesn’t handle DUI cases.  That’s not our area of practice.  However, we do deal with the victims of DUI crashes.  People who had a vehicle, property destroyed or got injured because of someone else’s irresponsible driving.  We see the suffering our clients have endured from property damage, hospital bills, and missed time from work.  The reality is that insurance companies drag their feet when it comes to paying claims and may not even cover real costs.  We fight hard every day to get victims fairly compensated for the foolish mistakes of others.

Don’t ruin Thanksgiving with a DUI.  Please be safe and make smart decisions during the holidays.  Avoid being stopped by the police, getting into a wreck, causing injuries to others, or possibly killing innocent people.  It’s just not worth a few drinks. However, if ignorance and recklessness come into your life and harm your family or property, call Trammell & Mills Law Firm, LLC to handle the civil side of justice.