Study: Seattle 17th in nation for drivers with a DUI
Apr 12, 2019, 5:52 PM
(Jeffrey Smith, Flickr Creative Commons)
(Jeffrey Smith, Flickr Creative Commons)
It’s not a contest any city wants to win, but a new study shows that Seattle ranks 17th in the nation of drivers with driving under the influence penalties.
The study was conducted by insurance company Quote Wizard, who used self-reported data from its users on driving infractions, in addition to numerous data points, which includes DUIs. Greensboro ranked first, followed by Boston and Columbus. Fresno came in at 25th.
RELATED: Bills for HOV cheaters, multiple DUI offenders move forward in Olympia
According to the study, drunk driving claims 30 lives everyday, and data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that deaths and damages caused by drunk driving to cost over $40 billion annually. That said, drunk driving fatalities have decreased by a third over the previous three decades.
Numerous transportation bills are making there way through the Washington State Legislature at the moment, including bills to increase punishments for multiple instance DUI offenders.
New provisions would extend the look-back period for multiple DUI offenders to 15 years, increase the amount of time a person has to use ignition interlock devices, and issue stronger penalties for drunk drivers who have kids in the car, among other provisions.
RELATED: Bill to punish HOV violators still alive in Legislature
In terms of insurance, a DUI can cause a driver to be dropped from the policy, or at the very least be subject to steep rate increases. Quote Wizard found that the average car insurance increase after a DUI is $830 a year.
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