A driver in New York was allegedly so drunk he not only drove threw a stop sign without slowing down, but he also crashed into the back of a garbage truck with such force the truck was tipped on its side and pushed more than fifty feet. The resulting crash resulted in the death of the passenger in the Jeep. The driver suffered some injuries and was hospitalized in stable condition. The passenger never made it out of the vehicle alive.

If it is proven that driver was drunk at the time of crash he will likely suffer severe consequences starting with charge of driving under the influence; thousands of dollars in fines; imprisonment; suspension of his driving privileges and possibly charges of vehicular manslaughter for the death of the passenger in his vehicle. Not mention the mental anguish of knowing he caused the death of another person through his own negligence.

Drunk driving is no joke. It is directly responsible for a majority of vehicle crashes every year in the United States. Although distracted driving is getting a lot of attention in the news lately, drunk driving remains a serious threat to safety for anyone who drives on the roads today.

In the case of the two men in the garbage truck which was struck by the speeding Jeep, they were doing nothing at the time except sitting still. Drunk drivers don’t care what you are doing-they are not in control of their senses, which is what makes them so dangerous. And why authorities around the country and the world take drunk driving so seriously. Fines and punishment for drunk drivers are continually being raised and many states are resorting to forcing those convicted of even their first drunk driving offense to install an interlock ignition device which forces them to submit to a self-administered breathalyzer test-and pass-before their vehicle will start.