According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), one person dies from a drunk driving car crash every 50 minutes, for a total of 10,000 lives lost each year. These situations might be avoided, but they nevertheless happen. When inebriated drivers get behind the wheel, they create major accidents involving other drivers, motorbike riders, and pedestrians.
There are no excuses for drunk driving, which has serious repercussions and puts the lives of people on the road in jeopardy. Continue reading to discover more about why drunk driving causes such fatal car accidents.
1. Poor Decision Making & Judgment
Alcohol, as you may have heard, has a significant influence on clouding judgment. Alcohol can impair your judgment to the point that you make poor judgments that you would not make otherwise, which you will come to regret the next morning or after you sober up.
Driving also relies heavily on your judgment abilities. To stop in time or perform a turn without striking anything, you must be able to assess distance. You must be able to anticipate and respond to difficulties that may emerge on the road, such as getting stranded, meeting a sudden change in weather, or avoiding huge pieces of road debris. Keeping your mind clean aids your judgment by keeping you attentive and aware of your surroundings. This ability will be harmed by alcohol.
2. Lack of coordination and a slow reaction time
When you have alcohol in your system, your body reacts to certain events more slowly. Because you won’t be able to respond to anything happening as soon as you would if you were sober, your response time will be decreased, increasing the chances of an accident. For example, if someone cuts you off or stops short in front of you, you may run into the rear of them instead of being able to think quickly, brake, and prevent an accident.
Not only will you have slower reflexes while under the influence of alcohol, but your motor skills, such as hand, eye, and foot coordination, will also be affected. These coordination abilities are extremely important for driving a car safely, and if they are hindered, you will endanger yourself and others.
3. Reduced vision
When driving, being able to see properly is crucial, and excessive alcohol use can lead to visual difficulties. You may lose some control over your eye movement. Your ability to assess the distance between your automobile and other cars or objects on the road may be affected by this visual impairment.
You might even lose your peripheral vision, which is critical for safe driving. In general, the more alcohol you take, the poorer your vision becomes. Do not drive if your eyesight is impaired, hazy, or you have any other eye-related concerns after a night of drinking.
4. Increased Chances of Getting into an Accident
Alcohol is linked to roughly one out of every three motor vehicle deaths in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Even though there are countless warnings, as well as increased education and public awareness about the hazards of drinking and driving, people continue to go behind the wheel of their automobiles while inebriated, even though the consequences for doing so are becoming more severe. Even while drunk driving is on the decline, it still occurs, and those who are driving sober are in danger when there is someone on the road who is impaired.
5. The Legal Consequences of Drinking and Driving
As if the increased danger of death to yourself and others wasn’t bad enough, anyone who decides to drink and drive also risks facing substantial legal repercussions.
Offenders will face significant financial penalties in addition to legal sanctions. Towing and storage fees, legal fines, and attorney fees are all possible expenses. You may also be obliged to pay for your own DUI driving instruction, and your insurance rates will soar as a result of your DWI or DUI arrest.
Overall, the risks of drinking while driving significantly exceed the benefit of hoping to arrive home safely. Even when sober, driving a car safely is challenging, but adding alcohol to the mix puts your life and the lives of others on the road in jeopardy. Make the correct decision and avoid driving when inebriated.
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