What do you think of when you hear the term hardcore drunk driver? Different people would probably have different definitions. They might think it’s someone who binge drinks and habitually gets behind the wheel, or a person who just has a really cavalier attitude about drinking and driving.
It may seem like hardcore drunk driver is another casual term to describe someone who drinks and drives, but it’s actually a definition used by lawmakers, lawyers, and law enforcement. Hardcore drunk drivers, also known as hard core drinking drivers, are those offenders who are convicted with a high blood alcohol concentration (BAC) over 0.15 percent or are a repeat offender who was charged with two or more drunk driving convictions over the past ten years.
According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, hardcore drunk drivers are usually male between the ages of 25-45. They’re also chronic offenders who drink and drive more often than they’re caught. The NHTSA estimates that these offenders are only stopped once every 88 times they drink and drive.
Hardcore drunk drivers are also most associated with fatal alcohol-related crashes. These drivers are actually involved in more than 70% of alcohol-related crashes on the road, and that’s why it’s vital that police have a strong presence on the roads at all times and continually set up checkpoints.
Lawmakers should also focus on all offender ignition interlock laws, because although a hardcore offender could decide it’s no big deal to drive with a suspended driver’s license, they won’t be able to get the car out of the driveway if they have an ignition interlock installed.
Every state deals with its hardcore drunk drivers in different ways, but if all states got got on the same page and really cracked down on these offenders, they could make a real dent in the US’s drunk driving problem.
