(PRWEB) March 21, 2013
According to the Tennessee Department of Safety & Homeland Security, nearly 10,000 Tennessee car accidents occur every year where alcohol is listed as a contributing factor in the crash. The television station known as WCYB, based out of Bristol, Tennessee, recently released a report detailing the concerns being raised by law enforcement agencies regarding the number of DUI arrests that have been made so far in 2013 because drivers were allegedly under the influence of prescription medication at the time. The attorneys at Michael D. Ponce & Associates would like to share this concern and alert the public to this growing public safety concern.
Specifically, WCYB published a report on its Web site on February 22, 2013 that was entitled, Number of DUIs involving drugs increasing with the sub-title of, Police say it’s mostly prescription drug abuse appearing below the headline. The report included a quote that stated that, “It looks like 50-55% of drivers are under the influence of more prescription type drugs or meth over alcohol, said Jerald Hughes with the Governors Highway Safety Office.
The report went on to state that so far in 2013, the situation may be worse. According to the Hawkins County Sheriffs Department, 11 of the 14 arrest on suspicion of DUI during the first month of 2013 involved the alleged use of prescription pills. These arrests generally involved drivers who were using medications that were prescribed to them, but that these suspects were allegedly abusing these prescriptions.
The attorneys at Michael D. Ponce & Associates would like to urge all motorists who have access to prescription medications to either avoid using them if they are going to drive or to avoid driving if they must take medication that impairs that capability. People who are injured by impaired drivers do have legal rights that should be explained to them by Tennessee DUI accident lawyers.
About Michael D. Ponce & Associates
Michael D. Ponce & Associates, PLLC, whose Web site can be found at the URL of http://www.poncelaw.com, is a law firm comprised of Tennessee personal injury lawyers who have been handling cases on behalf of clients in legal matters including personal injury and negligence, car accidents, motorcycle accidents, trucking accidents, pedestrian accidents, DUI accidents, premises liability, swimming pool accidents, dog bite injuries, bed bug cases, wrongful death and social security disability matters.
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