Drunk Driving and Motorcycle Deaths on the Decline

Posted in Auto Insurance , Motorcycle Insurance

November 19th, 2009

Since the financial crisis, California was hit hard economically and seemed to bear no good news; however, recently, the Governors Highway Safety Association announced that drunken-driving and motorcycle fatalities were falling in the state – which is good news indeed.

For 2008, there were 1,112 people killed in California by drunk drivers and 198 in drunken motorcycle deaths. These numbers show a significant decline from 2007 where 1,491 people were killed by drunk drivers and 264 people died in motorcycle crashes. This could result in steep motorcycle insurance rates for many riders.

There are a number of reasons being attributed to the decline in deaths:

• Fewer drinking events: Due to the economy, many people are said to be limiting their optional trips, including hitting the bars. As a result, more people seem to be drinking at home, decreasing the number of drunk drivers on the road.
• Tougher laws: Another reason for the decline in deaths is the tougher laws that penalize drunk drivers harder financially and may even with jail time.
• Higher insurance rates: With each drunk driving infraction, a driver’s auto insurance rates will skyrocket, deterring many from hitting the roads after drinking.

Authorities in California suggest that rather than drive drunk, it’s always better to designate a sober driver for your events or call a cab. Dunk driving could easily result in increased auto insurance rates. But much worse is the thought of killing an innocent person because you decided to drive irresponsibly.