The rise in the number of accidents often goes hand-in-hand with binge drinking, meaning having at least five drinks at a time. Binge drinkers were 13 times more likely to report driving while they were alcohol-impaired, and most of them admitted they often had far more than five drinks per binge.

If you receive injuries in a drunk-driving accident, you may be entitled to compensation from the drunk driver or his insurer. Under certain circumstances, even injured pedestrians and their close family members are entitled to receive compensation. Such compensation usually includes payment for medical treatment, past and future lost income, and emotional distress damages.

In some limited instances, the injured person is entitled to get recovery from the provider of alcohol to the driver, usually a bar or restaurant. Such cases against third parties are, however, more complicated and difficult to prove. Punitive damages are meant to punish malicious or reckless drivers, and to deter such conduct in the future.