A national drug testing company recently published a ranking of the states according to the rates of drunken driving, and Georgia finished in the middle of the pack.
The findings were based on information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Department of Transportation and FBI crime reports.
Georgia ranked 23rd overall for drunken driving rates in 2018, with 308.7 DUI-related arrests per 100,000 people.
Other metrics cited in the report showed our state has:
- Short-term rate change in DUI arrest rate: 32.4 percent increase from 2014-2018
- Long-term rate change in DUI arrest rate: 12.8 percent decrease from 2009-2018
In the 10-year span from 2009 to 2018, Georgia peaked in 2009 with 398.74 arrests for every 100,000 people.
The United States overall has seen the population-adjusted rate of drunken driving arrests fall by more than 35 percent since 2009. Only three states — Delaware, Washington, and North Dakota — recorded an increase in DUI arrests from 2009 to 2018.
GEORGIA DUI LAWS:
Georgia drivers can be charged with DUI if their blood alcohol content (BAC) is .08 percent or higher.
When you are arrested for a DUI in Georgia, you’ll have to deal with both a criminal case and a separate license suspension. The Georgia Department of Driver Services will handle your license suspension pursuant to the implied consent laws and the GA criminal courts will prosecute the criminal case.
What happens in court won’t have any bearing on the status of your driver’s license and vice versa.
The Georgia courts impose criminal penalties including:
- Fines;
- Jail time;
- Public service.
The Department of Driver Services imposes administrative penalties including:
- Suspension or revocation of your license.
The higher your BAC, the more severe your penalties may be. Multiple convictions will also result in harsher sentences.
The state with the lowest drunken driving rate in the nation? That commendable distinction went to Delaware, with 44.3 DUI arrests per 100,000 people.
Men are far more likely than women to be arrested on drunken driving charges, as males accounted for nearly three in four DUI arrests in 2018, according to U.S. Drug Test Centers.
Additionally, whites accounted for 81.2 percent of DUI arrests in 2018, according to the report.
Georgia State law also requires clinical evaluation and the attendance of a DUI / Risk Reduction Program that’s certified/licensed by the Georgia Department of Driver’s Services before your driver’s license can be reinstated if you have been charged with any of the following:
- DUI
- Drug Possession
- Other drug offenses
- Under-age possession of drugs or alcohol
For more information about DUI School visit www.a1drivingschools.com or call (770) 962-9555!
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