According to the most up-to-date studies, drunk driving accidents claim one life every 39 minutes in the United States.  One would hope that a decade of Public Service Announcements, education in high schools and defensive driving schools, as well as work by community groups such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) would have lessened the fatal impact of drunk driving. However, it has not and drunk driving is still an epidemic in the United States.

Here are the most current statistics available:

• Tragically, the 13,470 fatalities in 2006 caused by DUI drivers were slightly higher than the 13,451 fatalities caused by DUI drivers in 1996. 
• In 2006, one-third of all automobile fatalities were caused by DUI drivers with a BAC at or above 0.08 percent.
• Of the 1,794 minors (age 14 and below) who were killed in motor vehicle crashes, 306 (or almost one in five) occurred in alcohol-related accidents. Of those 306 fatalities, the minors riding with drivers who had a BAC at or above 0.08 percent made up one-half (153) of the fatalities.
• DUI drivers (those with a Blood Alcohol Content at or above 0.08 percent) were most often driving motorcycles (27 percent), then light trucks (24 percent), then passenger cars (23 percent).
• Of all DUI drivers, the lowest fatality rate occurred in large trucks (just one percent). The data does not reveal if drivers of larger vehicles are less likely to drive drunk, or if they are just less likely to die in the accident due to the vehicle they are operating.
• DUI drivers are more four times more likely to be male than female.
• Traffic deaths at night are four times likelier to be alcohol-related (i.e. caused by a driver with a BAC at or above 0.01 percent) than those during the day.
• Of all traffic deaths in 2006 caused by drivers with a BAC at or above 0.08 percent, the majority of those drivers were age 21 to 24 (33 percent), followed by those age 25 to 34 (29 percent), and then age 35 to 44 (25 percent).

It’s shocking, terrifying and unbelievable but it’s true. Drunk driving effects everyone in the United States and beyond. Mothers, daughters, fathers, and son are falling victim all over the world. Don’t be a statistic, if you drink, don’t drive.

New details have emerged in a Starke kidnapping case that has left the local community questioning how this could happen?

James Rodney Lucas, 31, remains in custody on charges of child abuses and interference with child custody after he allegedly held a 17-year-old girl against her will.

According to the criminal investigation report released Tuesday morning by the Bradford County Sheriff’s office, the details of the case still leave a lot of questions unanswered.

Lucas met the girl in Alachua County in March and gave her his phone number. The two began to communicate over the phone a few times before meeting in person again. The girl told investigators she did not know he was more than a decade older because he had what she described as “baby face.”

On June 14, the girl snuck out of her mother’s home to be with Lucas. She said she rode with him to Starke, expecting to stay only a few hours. Instead, Lucas took her to a home he claimed belonged to his Uncle Nate and she spent her first night there. The next night, the girl said Lucas stayed with her at a motel in Starke under another man’s name.

The girl’s third night with Lucas and most of the rest of the summer were spent at a home at 798 Pratt St. in Starke. It was at this house that Lucas began to beat and kick her to keep her under his control, but she denied ever being tied up, being forced to take drugs or being a prostitute.

“She did tell us that the sex with Lucas was initially consensual but then felt she could not say no to him,” Bradford County sheriff’s spokesman Capt. Brad Smith said.

Lucas cooked crack on the stove in front of her, the girl told investigators, and carried a gun while conducting drug deals. She told investigators she was afraid for her safety because Lucas made the statement to her “that he would shoot any person who snitches.”

When investigators asked the girl why she did not flee while Lucas was sleeping, she said she had no place to go because she did not have a good relationship with her mother or other relatives.

Alachua County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Art Forgey said the girl’s mother had filed a missing persons report about the girl on April 30 and said she suspected the girl was with a boyfriend, but the mother did not know the boyfriend’s name. On May 1, Putnam County deputies found the girl at a relative’s home in Putnam Hall, and she was returned home, Forgey said.

Bradford County investigators said the girl ran away again on May 8 but apparently returned home soon afterward.

The girl’s mother talked to a school resource officer on June 14, after the girl left again, but did not file a missing persons report.

The girl was returned to her mother’s home Sept. 2 after Lucas and the victim were pulled over by law enforcement during a traffic stop in Alachua County at 12:04 a.m. Lucas was arrested during the stop on a drug-possession charge, and the victim was given a ride home.

Later that day, the girl told a school resource officer that Lucas had abused her. Specialists documented many scars on the girl’s neck and extremities as well as bite marks on her left arm and hands.

On Sunday evening, a 9-year-old girl was seriously injured in an ATV car crash when she crashed into the path of an incoming car in Columbia County.

Sierra L. Graham was rushed to the Shands Hospital at the University of Florida preceding the accident.
The Florida Highway Patrol reported that no one else was injured at the scene of the crash at 4162 SE County Road 18.

The other vehicle involved in the crash belonged to Tami Givens Slocum, 50, who was driving a 2003 Chevrolet Malibu.

Sierra was on the north shoulder of CR 18 trying to get into the driveway when Slocum was headed east on CR 18. Sierra crossed into Slocum’s direct path and Slocum attempted to avoid the crash by steering right into a ditch.

As a result of the impact, the ATV’s right tire got caught on the Chevy’s left front tire and fender. Sierra was ejected from the ATV, which was dragged roughly 101 feet from the point of the collision.
At this time, no one has been charged pending further investigation.

ATVs (all-terrain vehicles) are very popular in Gainesville and throughout Florida. They are fun, exciting, and enjoyable for off-road adventures. It’s no surprise that with this great fun comes great dangers. In fact, according to a study released by ATVSafety.gov, there were 376 reported deaths and 131,900 reported accidents in 2009 in ATV-related incidents. So what is the best way to keep you and your family safe during your off-road excursions? Follow these rules for a safe ride:

1. Always wear a helmet, goggles, long sleeves, long pants, over-the-ankle boots, and gloves when you ride your ATV in Gainesville, Florida.
2. Never ride your ATV on paved roads except to cross streets or where permitted by law. Remember that an ATV is specifically designed for off-road terrain.
3. Never ride under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol as it can impair your judgment similarly to driving a car.
4. Never carry a passenger on a single-rider ATV and no more than passenger on an two-rider ATV.
5. Ride an ATV that’s right for your age. If you’re unsure which ATV is right for you, ensure to talk to a professional who sells or maintains ATVs.
6. Supervise riders age 16 and under. It is your responsibility to ensure an ATV is not treated as a toy.
7. Ride only on designated trails and at a safe speed to protect you and those around you.

For more information about ATV safety, visit the ATV Safety Institute website to browse their tips and safety guidelines. If you or someone you know has been in an ATV accident, contact the legal team at Bagen Law to discuss your case.