The 5 Gravest Dangers Of Drunk Driving

In New York State, driving while intoxicated is a serious crime, and DWI laws are strictly enforced. Alcohol can start impacting your motor skills and impair driving skills with a blood alcohol content as low as 0.01. Consequently, even if your BAC is below the legal limit, driving with even a small amount of alcohol in your system can still be extremely dangerous.

Why Drinking And Driving Is So Dangerous 

In a recent year alone, 13,384 victims died in alcohol-related accidents. In addition to this tragic drunk driving statistic, below are crucial reasons never to drink and drive:

1. Poor Judgement and Memory Loss: Alcohol impacts the part of your brain responsible for rational thinking and judgment. Intoxication significantly lowers inhibitions and can cause drinkers to make poor decisions without considering the consequences. 
2. Impaired Hand-Eye Coordination: Getting drunk impairs motor skills and affects the body’s central nervous system. Thus, a drunk driver has considerably less eye, hand, and foot coordination, which are all crucial for safe driving. The latest research demonstrates that coordination levels are impaired by over 20 percent, with BAC levels of only 0.015 percent. 
3. Slower Reaction Times: While driving, at any given moment, you may encounter various hazards, such as deer, debris flying off a semi-truck, pedestrians walking into the middle of the street, or the car in front slamming on their brakes. It is crucial to be able to respond to these situations quickly. Under normal circumstances, drivers can typically process these hazards and react fast enough to avoid them. However, alcohol affects a drinker’s ability to react to these situations.  
4. Heightened Risk of Being Involved in a Severe Accident: The gravest danger of drunk driving is the increased likelihood of being involved in a catastrophic car crash. In a recent study, the NHTSA found that someone suffers an injury resulting from a collision with an intoxicated driver every two minutes. Alcohol-related accidents are often fatal. 
5. The Legal Ramifications: Whether you damage your vehicle, are pulled over, or are in a serious accident, the consequences of drunk driving can be devastating. Drunk drivers not only place themselves at risk but also endanger passengers, other drivers, bystanders, and pedestrians. When an alcohol-impaired driver causes an accident, their intoxication can be used to hold them liable.

For over 24 years, Jed Dietrich, Esq. has aggressively represented victims who have been seriously injured or lost loved ones due to drunk drivers. The Dietrich Law Firm P.C.’s elite drunk driving car accident attorneys will stop at nothing to obtain the justice that you deserve. Suppose you or a family member were unfortunate enough to be involved in a crash with a drunk driver. In that case, please contact us immediately for your free, no-obligation consultation and case assessment. Our lawyers are available 24/7 at 716-839-3939 or by filling out the online consultation form.