New York – The driver of a sport utility vehicle (SUV) crashed into a car, causing serious accident injuries to the other driver and unknown injuries to the passenger. Police report that the man driving the SUV had been arrested in the past as a drunk driver and convicted a few years ago. The charges against him include fleeing the scene of an accident with personal injuries and allegedly driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. He apparently bypassed the installed breathalyzer device in his car that was intended to prevent additional drunk driving incidents. Road safety specialists say that driving while intoxicated or impaired increases the danger of a motor vehicle collision, including a pedestrian accident or bicycle accident. Public wellbeing activists have complained that the courts and government have been negligent in effectively keeping drunk or dangerous drivers off of the roads. Some have pointed out that installing a breathalyzer system in a convicted drunk driver’s car is not enough. These systems are too easy to bypass and a driver can also simply use a different car. They note that reckless drivers should be dealt with harshly, including putting them in jail, in order to protect the welfare of everyone else on the roads. An accident lawyer in New York City explains that the driver of the SUV will likely face both criminal charges as well as a personal injury lawsuit. However, the possibility of further charges or lawsuits cannot be excluded pending investigation of the circumstances surrounding the SUV accident. More about the car crash can be found here.

Illustrative photo by U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Patrick J. Cook [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons