What Are Zoloft Birth Defects?

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The global pharmaceutical conglomerate Pfizer produces the antidepressant Zoloft. It is one of their marquis drugs that yields them billions of dollars in revenue every year from the over 30 million prescriptions to patients in the United States and around the world.

Zoloft’s active ingredient is sertraline, which is a type of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). Serotonin is produced in the gastrointestinal tract and is a well-known contributor to feelings of well-being and happiness. Zoloft increases the amount serotonin by inhibiting its absorption back into the body. In turn, this affects chemicals in the brain that may become unbalanced and cause depression, panic, anxiety, or obsessive-compulsive symptoms.

Seems pretty straight forward on the surface, but there are reasons why the serotonin is reabsorbed by the body naturally. Too much of one thing in a person’s system beyond what the body naturally produces is rarely a good thing and often leads to serious side effects. In the case of Zoloft, either its advertised benefits or other factors are potentially effecting the development of the fetus in pregnant women. This has led to serious and potentially fatal birth defects.

What are Zoloft Birth Defects?

The issue of depression during pregnancy is a sensitive one. Depression during pregnancy is common as the hormones in a woman’s body adjust in new ways and at different levels in a seemingly random pattern. As any prenatal specialist will tell you, these hormone changes are pretty predictable in general, but the way the patient’s body will react is the highly chaotic part.

This is why they Mayo Clinic Website warns, “If you don’t take proper care of depression during pregnancy, you may put your health — and your baby’s health — at risk. If you’re depressed, you may not have the energy to take good care of yourself.” They go on to say, “The price of untreated depression may be high, including premature birth, low birth weight, developmental problems and an increased risk of postpartum depression.”

However, these recommendations are followed by the serious side effects of antidepressants on the unborn fetus. These side effects can cause the child to be born prematurely with lasting health concerns that may inhibit their future growth and quality of life. Yet these concerns aren’t adequately addressed by Pfizer or on the packaging of the drug.

First we should define what “congenital” means since it is mentioned in many of these descriptions. Congenital means a trait, defect, or disease that is presented at birth that may be either curable or stays with the person for the rest of their lives.

Some Zoloft Birth Defects Are:

Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) – This birth defect is a hole in the wall between the two upper chambers of the heart. Long-standing or particularly large ASDs can damage the heart and lungs. If detected early in a child, it can be remedied with surgery if the child is in healthy enough condition. An adult who has had an undetected ASD may have a shortened life span from heart failure or high blood pressure in the lungs.

Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS) – Hypoplastic left heart syndrome occurs when parts of the left side of the heart do not develop completely. This causes the right side of the heart to work abnormally and unsustainably hard. According to the Mayo Clinic, “An undeveloped heart can’t pump efficiently enough to support life, causing a child who has HLHS to get very sick. Without treatment, your child usually dies within the first days of life.”

Hypoplastic Right Heart Syndrome (HRHS) – This is the underdevelopment of the right-sided structures of the heart. These defects cause inadequate blood flow to the lungs and thus, a blue or cyanotic infant. Though this is rarer than HLHS, it is more treatable. Commonly it requires open heart surgery where a shunt is placed in the heart to control and regulate flow. However, even with this procedure, HRHS can result in other health problems such as:

  • Cyanosis
  • Heart murmur
  • Respiratory difficulties
  • Lethargy

Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn (PPHN) – When the newborn’s circulation has not made the normal transition from fetal circulation to normal newborn circulation, PPHN is the result, causing pressure in the lungs to increase and leading to distress. This distress causes high blood pressure in the lungs, so blood in the pulmonary artery is sent away from the lungs to the other organs through a fetal blood vessel. This fetal blood vessel closes after birth so that the blood pressure in their lungs can lower and they can start normal lung function. However, with PPHN, that fetal blood vessel does not close, causing blood to be directed away from the lungs and resulting in birth asphyxia due to dangerously low oxygen levels. Even if this is averted, the baby is still in serious danger of infection.

Tetralogy of Fallot – This is actually a fatal combination of four heart defects that are present at birth. These defects, which affect the structure of the heart, are congenital heart defects that change the normal flow of blood through the heart. This oxygen-poor blood to flow out of the heart and into the rest of the body is dangerous, but extremely hard to detect. Thus, this Zoloft side effect may manifest in the child much later in life and with dire results.

Transposition of the Great Arteries (TGA) – TGA is the most common cyanotic congenital heart lesion that presents in newborns. It happens when the two main arteries leaving the heart are reversed (transposed). If treatment is required, then it generally means that the child is held in the hospital until they are determined to be strong enough to withstand the rigors of open-heart surgery.

National Zoloft Attorneys

Parents who have dealt with a sick infant or the death of their newborn can tell you that it is one of the hardest things a person can go through in their lifetime and can result in broken families and broken lives. It’s made worse when their child’s birth defects or developmental problems were related to Zoloft and they weren’t properly informed of the dangers.

If you have found that you or a loved one has had a child with a birth defect and they were taking Zoloft during pregnancy, they may be entitled to compensation. It is important that you contact legal council that has experience in protecting patients from giant pharmaceutical companies. Call Phillips Law Firm for a consultation on your legal options.

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Actos Lawyers Help Victims of Actos Bladder Cancer Side Effect

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Diabetes is a terrible disease that effects millions of Americans and can lead to a lifetime of maintenance and prescription dependency. These drugs are specifically designed to keep diabetes alive and give them a better quality of life. However, Actos has been found to cause a much more deadly disease, bladder cancer.

Victims of Takeda Industry’s diabetes drug filed to consolidate a multidistrict litigation (MDL) class action lawsuit and all of the parties came to an agreement on Sept. 29th to allow the MDL. The next step is to find a venue for the victims to present their cases. Yet, there are victims that have not yet found legal representation or know the dangers that Actos posed to their health.

Actos Bladder Cancer Side Effect

Back in 1999, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approved Actos (pioglitazone) to treat Type 2 diabetes. The potentially defective drug is used to increase the body’s insulin sensitivity. The studies show that the drug is effective in doing its job, however, there have been studies linking it to heart attacks and now the FDA admits a high risk of bladder cancer. They said on their website:

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is informing the public that the Agency has approved updated drug labels for the pioglitazone-containing medicines to include safety information that the use of pioglitazone for more than one year may be associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer.

The FDA may have a hand in this whole fiasco for not doing their due diligence.

You see, Actos’s main competitor was a drug called Avandia that was shown to seriously increase a patient’s chance of heart attack to such a degree that studies suggest it caused hundreds of thousands of heart attacks and potentially hundreds—if not thousands—of deaths. After an excruciating amount of foot dragging, in July of 2010, the FDA finally ruled to regulate Avandia into obscurity. This left an open window for Takeda to swoop in.

Not only did the FDA move against Avandia, it recommended that patients switch to Actos. This increased Takeda Pharmaceuticals to $4.3 billion in Actos sales last year, nearly double the profit. As you can see above that only after a year, patients were finding that they were out of the heart-attack-pot and into the bladder-cancer-fire.

Actos Bladder Cancer Research

However, Takeda had already been conducting tests regarding an industry suspicion that Actos had the potential of causing bladder cancer. They sent the FDA data that originated from an ongoing 10-year study after five years or half way through the study. The research at that point showed that rats given the drug had a slightly higher rate of bladder tumors.

The five-year data involved 193,099 patients with diabetes. Initially the statistics looked good revealing no indication that there was significant link between Actos and bladder cancer. Yet, when the duration the patients had been taking the drug was factored in, they found that the risk increased significantly.

After only 24 months, the rate of the increased risk of bladder cancer reached statistical significance. The increase was nearly 1.4%. This doesn’t sound too significant, but think about all of the patients. In 193,099 patients, 270 that contracted bladder cancer. Now put the number of patients in the millions and imagine the number of those effected in the US alone.

Actos Bladder Cancer Lawsuit

Since Actos has been on the market for 12 years without Takeda Industries or the FDA making any slight move to help protect patients from contracting bladder cancer, it’s no wonder that victims and their families are now coming forward seeking justice from this incredibly irresponsible behavior by both the industry and the FDA. In fact, the FDA has not even banned the use of the drug by patients who have a history of bladder cancer!

They merely recommend to healthcare professionals on their site to, “Use pioglitazone with caution in patients with a prior history of bladder cancer. The benefits of blood sugar control with pioglitazone should be weighed against the unknown risks for cancer recurrence.”

It is currently unknown how many bladder cancer deaths potentially have been caused by Actos since the major study is testing how many patients get bladder cancer rather than looking retrospectively into Actos patients. This is partly being addressed by French researchers.

The FDA has promised an update on the drug after review of data collected by the French researchers, but they have yet to act as decisively as the French have, who have banned the drug on their market of 230,000 patients.

National Actos Attorney

There is a reasonable expectation that patients will come first in the eyes of those who regulate pharmaceuticals. Unfortunately, in the case of Actos, that system may be letting them down. Takeda Industries is going to make as much profit as they possibly can. The largest pharmaceutical drug settlement in history was Merck, who had to pay out $5 billion concerning Vioxx deaths. As you can see, if Takeda pays half of that, they are merely out 6 months worth of profit and will offering a drug the FDA obviously refuses to take off of the market.

Phillips Law Firm is a full service law firm that is prepared to help the victims of Actos side effects. If you or a loved one has a heart attack or stroke while taking Actos it is important that you call Phillips Law Firm for a free consultation.

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National Drowsy Driving Prevention Week Warns of Serious Auto Accidents

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Almost every driver has done it, found themselves drifting a little behind the wheel. The eyes start getting blurry, the head starts bobbing, and you drift off for what might be only a fraction of a second. However, all it takes is less than half a second to drift into oncoming traffic potentially causing a catastrophic head-on accident or a rollover accident due to sudden overcompensation, common auto accidents linked to drowsy driving.

The AAA Foundation estimates that about one in six deadly crashes involves a drowsy driver. In an effort to reduce the number of fatigue-related crashes and to save lives, the National Sleep Foundation is declaring November 6-12, 2011 to be Drowsy Driving Prevention Week®. This annual campaign provides public education about the under-reported risks of driving while drowsy and countermeasures to improve safety on the road.

Drowsy Driving

The National Sleep Foundation’s Drowsy Driving Prevention Week calls to attention the dangers of driving while drowsy or highly fatigued. The national non-profit organization says new data shows that 96% of Americans feel it’s unacceptable for someone to drive when they are so sleepy they have trouble keeping their eyes open.

This has not stopped the fact that one-third of Americans admitted driving while fatigued or drowsy in the past 30 days. The NSF’s 2011 Sleep in America poll found that about one in ten 16-45 year old drivers report driving drowsy once or twice a week.

“People know that they shouldn’t text or drink when they drive, and that’s great,” says David Cloud, CEO of the National Sleep Foundation. “However, many don’t realize that driving while drowsy is also very dangerous. If you’re so tired that you can hardly keep your eyes open, you could fall asleep for just a few seconds and not realize it. If that happens at 65 miles an hour, you could drive the length of a football field in an unconscious state.”

Drowsy Driving Symptoms and Prevention

One of the most prevalent causes of drowsy driving is sleep depravation caused by lifestyle or sleep disorders. Everything from stress at work to a new baby can cause lifestyle sleep disorders that can equate to a serious danger when driving. There are other sleep disorders such as sleep apnea and narcolepsy that can serious affect the safety of the operator of any vehicle.

All of these causes are easy to identify, but people still drive after being effected by these dangerous circumstances. Some people use caffeine, energy drinks, or other sources to keep them up. However, these only last a short while and the withdrawal results in even more drastic drowsiness. The trick is to identify drowsiness and act accordingly.

Symptoms of drowsiness:

  • Difficulty focusing, frequent blinking and/or heavy eyelids
  • Difficulty keeping reveries or daydreams at bay
  • Trouble keeping your head up
  • Drifting from your lane, swerving, tailgating and/or hitting rumble strips
  • Inability to clearly remember the last few miles driven
  • Missing exits or traffic signs
  • Yawning repeatedly
  • Feeling restless, irritable, or aggressive

Drowsy driving prevention is a big concern for us as well as the NSF. We have covered many issues in our article Drowsy Driving: Symptoms, Causes, and Solutions, but the NSF has it’s own set of rules that recommends people keep in mind this week.

  • Get a good night’s sleep: You’ll want to be alert before you hit the road. Be sure to get adequate sleep (seven to nine hours) the night before you go.
  • Don’t Rush: Many drivers try to maximize the holiday weekend by driving at night or without stopping for breaks. It’s better to allow the time to drive alert and arrive alive.
  • Share the burden: Just as you should not swim alone, avoid driving alone for long distances. Take turns behind the wheel and help identify the warning signs of fatigue.
  • Break every 100 miles or 2 hours: Get a snack, switching drivers, going for a run, stretch, or do breathing exercises.
  • Take a nap – Rest stops during the day are generally safe places to take a 15 to 20-minute nap, if you think you might fall asleep. Give yourself a few minutes to wake up before resuming the drive.
  • Avoid alcohol and medications: Even at legal amounts, they can cause drowsiness as a side-effect.
  • Avoid driving at times when you would normally be asleep.
  • Caffeine: The equivalent of two cups of coffee can increase alertness for several hours.

Puget Sound Car Accident Lawyer

Drowsy driving has the unfortunate reputation as something that we all do and an unfortunate mistake, rather than the stigma of driving drunk even though both are equally as dangerous. What drowsy driving prevention week reminds us of is the fact that it is extremely dangerous behavior that is totally preventable.

Phillips Law Firm represents families of victims who have been injured or died in car accidents in Washington state. We are skilled attorneys in wrongful death lawsuits and personal injury lawsuitswith years of experience that they will use to assure that you get the compensation you deserve. Call today for a free consultation.

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Zoloft Lawsuits Over Birth Defect Side Effects Come To Washington State

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Since 1992, the global pharmaceutical behemoth Pfizer has been offering the antipsychotic/antidepressant drug Zoloft to the public. It was initially approved for the treatment of panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). It was later approved for treatment of long-term treatment of pediatric OCD. Zoloft also is the only Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) approved for the long-term treatment of PTSD.

This highly versatile drug is prescribed to nearly 30 million people worldwide each year. Over the past decade alone, Zoloft has been used for more than 10.2 billion patient days of therapy worldwide. This is an amazing amount of prescriptions in proportion to the amount of research done. Much of that research is sponsored by Pfizer in order to expand the drug’s roll in society. Unfortunately, little of the research has gone into one of its worst side effects, birth defects.

Zoloft Side Effects

Depression is very common in pregnant women as their hormones rage out of control. This is exacerbated by the fact pregnancy is accompanied with weight gain and serious life changes furthering feelings of anxiety. Even though Zoloft is accompanied with a black box warning regarding adolescent suicide, it is not accompanied with a warning of birth defects.

Listed Zoloft side effects:

  • Decreased appetite or weight loss
  • Diarrhea or loose stools
  • Dizziness
  • Drowsiness
  • Dry mouth
  • Headache
  • Increased sweating
  • Nausea
  • Stomach or abdominal cramps, gas, or pain
  • Tiredness or weakness
  • Trembling or shaking
  • Trouble sleeping

Zoloft and Birth Defects

However, there is research coming out that there are potentially serious birth defects associated with Zoloft. Some of these birth defects are apparent and detectable at the time of birth, some are less apparent and may manifest later, particularly effects on the heart.

Potential Zoloft Birth Defects:

Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn (PPHN) – This happens when the newborn’s circulation has not made the normal transition from fetal circulation to normal newborn circulation, because pressure in the lungs is increased and this causes distress.

Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) – An atrial septal defect (ASD) is a hole in the wall between the two upper chambers of the heart. Large and long-standing atrial septal defects can damage the heart and lungs. An adult who has had an undetected atrial septal defect for decades may have a shortened life span from heart failure or high blood pressure in the lungs.

Tetralogy of Fallot – This is a problem with the heart’s structure that’s present at birth. Congenital heart defects change the normal flow of blood through the heart.

Transposition of the Great Arteries – Transposition of the great arteries is a rare heart defect present at birth, in which the two main arteries leaving the heart are reversed (transposed).

Hypoplastic Right Heart Syndrome (HRHS) – This is the underdevelopment of the right sided structures of the heart. These defects cause inadequate blood flow to the lungs and thus, a blue or cyanotic infant.

Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome – Hypoplastic left heart syndrome occurs when parts of the left side of the heart do not develop completely.

National Zoloft Lawyers

One of the most horrific things that can happen to a person is to watch their newborn child struggle in intensive care, and through life, knowing that it could have been prevented if they had simply known that there was a remote chance that the drug that they were taking during pregnancy could cause these serious side effects. Throughout the years, people haven’t even known that their child’s birth defects or developmental problems were related to Zoloft.

If you have found that you or a loved one has had a child with a birth defect and they were taking Zoloft during pregnancy, they may be entitled to compensation. It is important that you contact legal council that has experience in protecting patients from giant pharmaceutical companies. Call Phillips Law Firm for a consultation on your legal options.

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Does Propecia Potentially Cause Male Breast Cancer?

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As you might imagine, male breast cancer is extremely uncommon as compared to female breast cancer, with an estimated incidence of one case per 100,000 man-years. Thus we see most of the icons used to brand the crusade against the disease pink in color and feminine in form. However, male breast cancer rates are increasing and some researchers suggest that it may be linked to hair loss medications like Propecia.

Millions of men take Finasteride, the active ingredient in Propecia, in order to curb their hair loss due to age or genetics. However, men taking the drug have complained of lowered libido, impotence, and erectile dysfunction that lasts well after they have taken the drug.

How does the erectile dysfunction side effect tie to an increased risk of developing male breast cancer? It stems from the function of Finasteride and how it stops hair loss.

JNCI Study

You see, Finasteride is an androgen inhibitor, which shrinks androgen-dependent prostate tissue by inhibiting steroid 5?-reductase, an enzyme that converts testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT), the main androgen tied to male-pattern baldness. This helped tremendously in the treatment of prostate cancer as Finasteride is still used in larger doses to reduce prostate size. However, the reduction of testosterone is directly linked to the increase in estrogen production.

According to research published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (JNCI), researchers found conditions that result in relative estrogen excess or lack of androgen are associated with an increased risk of breast cancer in both women and men. In fact, they found that there is a subset of men with Klinefelter’s syndrome (affecting 1 in 800 men) who are completely unaware they have the syndrome that have a further 50% greater chance of contracting male breast cancer above that of healthy males.

“As this patient and his physician, we strongly recommend that the FDA [Food and Drug Administration] require that information about the possible association between male breast cancer and [Finasteride] be clearly stated in the manufacturer’s patient information leaflet for prescriptions and in its advertisements,” the report said. “Patients and their physicians need to be better informed about this potential life-threatening risk. Men who take [Finasteride] need to be aware of any changes in their breasts and report these changes immediately to their physicians.”

The results of the study made a clear connection between Propecia (Finasteride) and an increased risk of breast cancer. However, this isn’t the only study that has come to this conclusion.

National Institutes of Health Study

A study sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) followed 3,047 men as they patients were split into four groups and given medications. One group received both finasteride and doxazosin (another drug that treats enlarged prostate). Group 2 received finasteride alone. Group 3 received only doxazosin. The final group acted as the placebo group and given a sugar pill.

Amongst the whole group, researchers found four cases of male breast cancer in the groups taking either finasteride or doxazosin. This doesn’t seem significant, but scientifically speaking, this is an incidence rate 200 times higher than that for the general population.

Just like the JNCI study, the authors of the NIH study urged the FDA to update the warning label on Propecia to include the possibility of male breast cancer. However, the FDA has still only categorized the instances as “adverse reactions” and has yet to take the step to concretely warn men of their increased risk of contracting this potentially deadly disease.

Propecia and Male Breast Cancer

Male breast cancer is just as dangerous as breast cancer in females, in fact, perhaps more . The reason why it may be worse is that men are not instructed or trained to check for it. Even those men taking Propecia who are shown to be at higher risk are generally not shown what signs that they should look for even though they are the same signs as women.

Signs of male breast cancer:

Lumps – The most common sign of breast cancer in men is a firm, nonpainful mass located just below the nipple. There may not be other associated symptoms. The average size of breast cancer in men when first discovered is about 2.5 cm in diameter.

Nipple Changes – The cancer may cause skin changes in the area of the nipple. These changes can include ulceration of the skin, puckering or dimpling, redness or scaling of the nipple, or retraction (turning inward) of the nipple. Bloody or opaque discharge from the nipple may also occur. Less than 1% of cases are bilateral (occurring on both sides).

Breast (pectoral) or bone pain – Breast cancer that has spread (metastasized) to the bones may also produce bone pain at the sites of metastases. Advanced breast cancer can also produce symptoms typical of many cancers.

National Propecia Attorneys

Propecia has shown to have many side effects that are long lasting including the Propecia Erectile Dysfunction side effect, which has been the most prevalent, but certainly not the most potentially deadly. If men are not informed of the danger of the Propecia breast cancer side effect, they may find themselves in a potentially life altering situation that far outweighs their need to curtail their hair loss.

If you or a loved one are taking Propecia or any other derivative of Finasteride it is important that you contact legal council that has experience in protecting patients from giant pharmaceutical companies. Call Phillips Law Firm for a consultation on your legal options.

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Drinking and Driving Prevention Technology Takes A Giant Step

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Currently in the State of Washington, drinking and driving laws are becoming some of the most stringent in the country. For us and other advocates for victims of drinking and driving, we welcome it. Not everyone is on our side.

There are those who use individual freedom as their justification for lowered drunk driving standards. This extends from the .08 blood-alcohol content (BAC) standard to the obligatory breathalyzer installed into the automobile by the courts for habitual offenders. However, those who have been personally injured or had loved ones who have been killed by a drunk driver will point out the individual rights of victims.

One of these organizations is Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). This organization has been a vocal advocate of radical steps at drunk driving prevention including laws that not only cite the behavior of individuals, but also the bars that serve them. Now they have taken it one step further with the Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety (DADSS) research program. A program that will undoubtedly stir a lively push back from the car manufacturers and those in the legal community who choose to defend drunk drivers.

Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety (DADSS)

The DADDSS program began its research in 2008 as a national effort to develop publicly-acceptable technology that will prevent the illegal operation of a vehicle by a drunk driver.

The $10 million cooperative research project between the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety (ACTS), representing the nation’s leading automakers, is now entering a new phase in which it will move out of the laboratory and onto the road. Researchers expect a drivable test vehicle to be ready within two years.

Researchers say that they are attempting to develop technology that won’t hassle sober drivers, requires no maintenance, and will be precise enough that it stops a driver when their BAC is at or exceeds 0.08.

“This will be lifesaving technology,” believes Rob Strassburger, Vice President of Safety and Harmonization of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers.

How Does It Work?

Two companies, Autoliv Development AB of Sweden and Takata-TruTouch of Auburn Hills, Michigan, are offering different alternative. Each were awarded $2.25 million to successfully demonstrating a working technology during the proof-of-concept phase. They have the potential for ultimately meeting stringent performance criteria established for DADSS.

Distant Spectrometry– Autoliv is developing a breath-based device, which they say performs a fast, contact free, unobtrusive measurement of the driver’s breath alcohol. It utilizes concentrations of carbon dioxide as a measure of dilution of the driver’s exhaled breath. Multiple sensors placed in the vehicle cabin will allow the system to ensure that the breath sample is from the driver only and not other passengers.

Tissue Spectrometry – Takata-TruTouch is working on a touch-based approach that can measure BAC by shining an infrared light on the user’s skin. A portion of the light scatters several millimeters through the driver’s skin before returning back to the skin’s surface where it is collected by the optical touch pad. This light contains information on the skin’s unique chemical properties, which can be analyzed to determine the driver’s alcohol concentration.

The Court of Public Opinion

The public has been inundated with anti-DUI messages and now at least are aware or the problem. However, nationally, drinking and driving continues to be one of the leading causes of death and injury on America’s roads, claiming a life every 48 minutes. The NHTSA feels that the DADSS devices are a promising new tool to prevent drunk drivers and repeat offenders from getting behind the wheel.

Opinion research indicates that the public is ready for such a device. Research shows that two-thirds of those surveyed considered the use of advanced technology to keep drunk drivers off the roads to be a “good” or “very good” idea. Authorities cite the fact hat there were still nearly 11,000 such fatalities in 2009, nearly one-third of the traffic toll. They estimate that DADSS could prevent an estimated 8,000 drunk driving deaths a year.

Seattle DUI Victims Lawyers

As we recognize that this is a radical approach, if their numbers are correct this could reduce drunk driving fatalities by an amazing 72%. With those kinds of results, the inconvenience is worth the overall effect on society as a whole.

This may prove to reduce the number of roadside shrines that occupy roads across the nation commemorating those lost to drinking and driving. The shrines are also a reminder that the measures as they stand currently are reducing the number of drunk driving deaths slowly, but now that technology has caught up to the need, it is time to not only change policy and force behavior changes.

If you or a loved one are injured or killed in a DUI wreck, it is important that you find legal council as soon as possible to help you through the legal components of the tragedy. Call the DUI Victim’s Attorneys at Phillips Law Firm for a consultation on your legal rights.

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