RIDE-CT – Classic Cars Celebrating Classic Cars in Connecticut
HARWINTON, CT – Are you aware that Connecticut is “the #8 drunk driving hotspot this Spring Break?” Or that Connecticut ranks fourth on the Top 10 list of strictest states for DUI/DWI enforcement? Have you ever considered that Connecticut comes in third place among the “most dangerous states for driving on the freeway?”
No doubt cognizant that the internet is packed with websites plastered with clickbait, and always in search of more, personal injury law firms across the country are increasingly putting out press releases filled with “analyzed data” designed to draw eyeballs and to add bolster their bottom lines.
This week alone, I’ve recently received trolling communiques from such ambulance chasers as the RTRLAW in Florida, a firm that’s “Reliable…Trusted…Respected;” from Michael & Associates in Texas, “the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyer that Cares;” and from H&P Law in Las Vegas, which touts itself as “Courtroom Proven, Client Praised.”
There was also a release from personal injury attorneys Foster Wallace in Missouri, which declares “Your Injury. Our Fight.” It listed the Top 10 counties in the country with the highest fatal vehicle rates. None were in Connecticut.
Masking their releases as an informative public service, and supposedly sourcing and then regurgitating statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration/U.S. Department of Transportation, the goal of the law firms is to boost name recognition and draw clients capable of helping them reap income from settlements.
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RTRLAW was the firm that warned of drunk drivers in the state during spring break. It stated in a press release from Anna Richards that arrived this morning that Connecticut was among states “with the highest percentage fatal collisions due to drunk driving between 2018 and 2022.”
That’s not news. That’s ancient history.
Michael & Associates, in a release from Rebecca Stumpf that arrived Wednesday, assessed the strictest and least strict states for DUI enforcement based on “minimum and maximum mandatory jail time, maximum fines, driver’s license suspension length, and other longer-term penalties and consequences.”
Connecticut came in fourth place among the most strict because “first-time offenders must spend at least two days in jail, pay a maximum fine of $1,000, and a conviction stays on their criminal record for 10 years.”
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In a release from Lee Beardsley that also arrived Wednesday, H&P Law told how Connecticut ranks third on the list of dangerous states for driving on the freeway,” again using data from between 2018 and 2022. It noted “there were 1,405 fatal crashes in the state, of which 134 occurred on the freeways, which is a percentage of 9.54%.”
Ho-hum and so what? Do dated stats change anyone’s driving habits? Doubtful. You need to go somewhere, you grab the key or the fob and go. Ever take a surface street because the freeway is too risky? Maybe too packed with traffic, yes.
Ever worry about drunk drivers? Doubtful as well, except maybe on New Year’s Eve or Saint Patrick’s Day.
So, yes, in writing about the constant inflow of irritating press releases from law firms, I’ve now helped them accomplish their goal. Just wish they’d stop with the constant inbox litter. Think it’s time to start looking for “Unsubscribe” links. Why should I have to do that when I never subscribed in the beginning?
Quick note to Haymond Law, Trantolo & Trantolo, Get Carter, and Goff Law Group and all the others here in Connecticut, please refrain from even considering even putting out such useless press releases. With all the advertising that you do, it’s a safe bet that I’ll “shop local” should a personal injury attorney ever be needed.
