Students aboard a school bus heading home were injured in a Knoxville crash when a 44-year-old drunk driver reportedly struck the bus head-on around 4 p.m. along Middlebrook Pike.
Some 45 children were aboard, and six were transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Our drunk driving accident lawyers in Knoxville recognize that this could have been so much worse.
Given that April is National Alcohol Awareness Month, it is an appropriate time to point out the inherent causes of drunk driving crashes, and what steps can be taken to reduce the risk. Though drunk driving is an offense certainly not limited to young drivers (as the most recent case clearly illustrates), the message of drinking-and-driving dangers is especially pertinent as we near graduation season and the beginning of summer break.
Preventing alcohol abuse, drunk driving accidents
The theme for this year’s alcohol awareness campaign was announced as, “Help for Today. Hope for Tomorrow.” It refers to the fact that drunk-driving incidents almost always stem from abuse of the substance, and frequently involve addiction.
Indeed, the driver reportedly involved in the school bus crash has a history of drunk driving offenses. He has one prior conviction and, at the time of the crash, was wanted in Anderson County on a second DUI charge. He is now facing a third DUI, plus charges relating to possession of drug paraphernalia and driving under suspension.
While it is never too late for a person to receive intervention for an addiction, it is best to intervene early. The NCADD notes that alcohol is the No. 1 drug of choice for America’s youth, and every single day, 7,000 children under the age of 16 take their first drink. Those who drink before the age of 15 are four times more likely to develop alcoholism than peers who abstain.
A recent survey by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) indicates that children whose parents express staunch disapproval of underage alcohol consumption are 80 percent less likely to drink until they are 21 and 70 percent less likely to be involved in a drunk-driving crash.
T.C.A. 55-10-415 mandates that drivers ages of 16 to 20 caught operating a vehicle while impaired have their license revoked for a full year without a provision for a restricted license. They will also be subjected to a $250 fine and community service work.
Of course, that’s assuming no one was hurt, which is often not the case when a teen gets behind the wheel drunk. In fact, the National Highway Safety Administration reports that car crashes are the No. 1 cause of death for teens, and about a quarter of those instances involve a driver who is drunk.
What are DUI penalties in Tennessee?
For adults, a first-time DUI offense in Tennessee will warrant up to 11 months, 29 days in jail, license revocation for 1 year, participation in an alcohol and/or drug treatment program, payment of restitution, payment of high-risk insurance and the possibility of an ignition-interlock order by a judge.
Advocates are working to make it so that ignition-interlock devices would be mandatory for first-time offenders in Tennessee.
Third-time offenders, like the one in the recent Knoxville school bus crash case, are subject to a mandatory 120 days in jail (up to 1 year), up to $10,000 in fines, license revocation of between 6 to 10 years, vehicle forfeiture, required drug and alcohol treatment and possible ignition-interlock requirements upon reinstatement of a license.
Drunk driving accident victims in Knoxville should contact G. Turner Howard III, Attorney at Law at (844) G3-Help-Me or 865-558-8030.
