North Carolina House Passes Zero Tolerance DWI Law | Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp

What Happened

On April 4, 2013 the State House passed a bill to make alcohol restrictions stricter for those who have been convicted of impaired driving. The vote passed 109-1 and will now be presented to the state Senate. Current law in North Carolina states a person convicted of driving while impaired can receive a restricted license after a year of limited driving privileges. Depending on the circumstances of their conviction drivers face different sentences. If a driver is convicted of multiple DWIs or had very high blood alcohol levels, they are restricted to 0.00 BAC and those with less serious DWI charges are not permitted to exceed 0.04 while behind the wheel. The new bill has been proposed to increase the zero-tolerance law to all DWI drivers with restricted licenses. 

Here is a news video about the new bill.

 

 The North Carolina Personal Injury Lawyers’ Perspective

As North Carolina (NC) personal injury and wrongful death lawyers we know all too well the consequences caused by drunk drivers. According to MADD, 413 people were killed in North Carolina in alcohol-related incidents in 2012. In the United States drunk drivers are the cause of a staggering one-in-three fatal car accidents. It’s important for victims of a drunk driver to contact a North Carolina (NC) personal injury lawyer to hold an at fault driver accountable for their actions. As a North Carolina (NC) personal injury attorney my goal is to identify all sources of insurance recovery and to help our client receive compensation for all types of accident-related expenses and losses. With over 100 combined years of legal experience our Virginia (VA) personal injury lawyers have the resources, knowledge, and experience to handle such a case.

In a similar case a client and her husband were headed to go hunting early in the morning. On their way they were struck by the defendant who was likely drunk at the time. The defendant fled the scene, and was never found. Our firm launched our own investigation and found the identity of the man. The company that insured the vehicle did not want to pay any damages since there was no proof to place the defendant in the car. However we were able to convince the insurance company to pay, rewarding our client with a sizable claim.

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 North Carolina (NC) wrongful death attorneys to begin learning about your legal rights and options for filing claims for compensation.

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You can learn more by reading through our online library of lawyers’ answers to frequently asked questions about Virginia (VA) wrongful death cases.

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