Campbell County Campaign to Reduce Underage Drinking and Driving | Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp

What Happened

Handing over the keys to a car to a child is a huge milestone for any parent, but brings on a great fear for their safety.

In Campbell County, Virginia (VA) there are a high percentage of car accidents that were caused by drivers ages 18 to 24 that had been drinking and driving. A new campaign to reduce these numbers by at least 10 percent is being launched by parents of the community, sheriff’s deputies, and the Alcoholic Beverage Control. The term media blitz has been used to describe the campaign as Campbell County is getting grant money from the state and federal government. Over the next few months, billboards will be put up along the highway and commercials will air on TV pushing the issue of safe driving amongst younger drivers. The campaign will also fund the sheriff’s department to increase the number of safety and sobriety checkpoints as well as bring in the Alcoholic Beverage Control to crack down on stores that may be selling alcohol to minors. An organizer and prevention coordinator states “in order for this campaign to work, we need support from parents.  We want adults to set a good example and have an honest discussion with their children about alcohol and safe driving habits.”

The Virginia Personal Injury Lawyers’ Perspective

This is a great campaign by a community to take action to protect its young drivers. Each year, thousands of teens are killed or injured in accidents as a result of underage drinking.  In a 2010 study by Mothers Against Drunk Driving, accidents involving underage drunk drivers were estimated at 5.8 percent for 16 or 17 year olds and 15.1 percent for 18 to 20 year olds. For every 100,000 Americans under the age of 21, 1.4 people were killed in drunk driving fatalities.

Alcohol use by persons under the age of 21 years old is a major public health problem. As Virginia (VA) personal injury lawyers who regularly defend victims of drunk drivers we know how angry you are, and we know the pain you are going through. While we can’t heal the injuries, we can surely go after the drunk driver who hurt you as well as those responsible for letting him drive drunk. We will pursue your drunk driving lawsuit to ensure you get the compensation you need for costly medical bills, prescriptions, lost wages, rehabilitation, and pain and suffering. If you were hurt in a drunk driving accident, don’t hesitate to talk to our attorneys about the details of your case and begin working toward the compensation you deserve.

Potentially Helpful Info

If a loved one was killed in an automobile accident due to another person’s negligence or recklessness, consider downloading this free report written by experienced Virginia (VA) wrongful death attorneys to begin learning about your legal rights and options for filing claims for compensation.

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