Despite Hostility Towards Drunk Driving, It Remains A Serious Problem on Washington Roads, Seattle Drunk Driving Accident Attorney Says

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Dean Brett

Based on my experience, I feel strongly that we can and should do more to protect innocent motorists from this reckless driving behavior.

Seattle, WA (PRWEB) January 7, 2011

Even though a recently released national survey indicates growing hostility towards drunk driving, Seattle car accident attorney Dean Brett says that too many Washington drivers still engage in this form of reckless driving.

“It’s clear that people recognize the very serious threat posed by drunk driving, but at the same time, alcohol-impaired driving fatalities have actually gone up in the state of Washington,” Brett says. “This means we need to do a better job of doing what the public wants: Keep drunk drivers off the road and out of the way of innocent, law-abiding motorists.”

Brett’s Seattle-based personal injury law firm, Brett & Coats, Attorneys at Law, PLLC, focuses on representing motor vehicle accident victims, including those harmed in drunk driving crashes.

The firm has dedicated a website, http://www.victimsofdrunkdrivers.com, to providing information and other resources to Washington residents whose lives have been impacted by an accident with an intoxicated driver.

Brett says he was encouraged by the results of the AAA Foundation’s 2010 Traffic Safety Culture Index, which is a nationally representative telephone survey of 2,000 Americans.

According to the AAA report, released last month:

•     87 percent of the survey’s respondents viewed driving after drinking alcohol as a “very serious threat” to their personal safety;
•     93 percent considered it to be “completely unacceptable” for a person to drive when they may have drunk too much; and
•     83 percent said they would lose respect for a friend if they discovered the friend had driven after drinking too much.

“Those results indicate to me that people understand that drunk driving leads to accidents, injuries and deaths,” Brett says.

However, the most recent National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics show that drunk driving continues to harm Washington state drivers, the Seattle auto accident lawyer points out. In 2009, there were 206 alcohol-impaired driving fatalities in Washington, or 23 more alcohol-related traffic deaths than the previous year, according to the NHTSA.

“I know that state officials and law enforcement have worked hard to crack down on drunk driving and promote awareness of this issue,” Brett says. “But more needs to be done.”

For instance, Brett says, there could be a requirement that anyone convicted of a DWI be required to have an ignition interlock device installed in their vehicle. This is a device that prevents a driver from operating a motor vehicle if there is a certain measure of alcohol in their breath. Under current Washington law, the ignition interlock requirement can be waived.

“I am a lawyer who has assisted families throughout Washington in wrongful death and personal injury lawsuits involving drunk driving, and I know the devastating emotional and financial impact of these accidents,” Brett says.

“Based on my experience, I feel strongly that we can and should do more to protect innocent motorists from this reckless driving behavior.”

About Brett & Coats

Brett & Coats, Personal Injury Attorneys, PLLC is a Washington personal injury law firm with offices in Seattle, Tacoma, Bellingham and Spokane. The firm represents car accident victims, including those injured in DUI/DWI accidents, and other personal injury victims throughout the state of Washington. For more information, call the firm at (800) 925-1875, use its online form or visit http://www.victimsofdrunkdrivers.com.

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