Why Alcohol & Driving Doesn’t Mix: 4 Debilitating Effects of Alcohol
Oct. 21, 2020
While there’s nothing necessarily wrong with enjoying some alcohol beverages every now and again, drinking and driving just do not mix. That’s because alcohol can seriously debilitate motorists and prevent them from being able to safely operate vehicles. This may not be a new fact to most people, and drunk driving is clearly illegal in every state in the U.S.
However, taking some time to understand just how alcohol affects motorists’ abilities can clarify just why drunk driving is so dangerous.
How Alcohol Affects Drivers
Knowing how alcohol debilitates drivers’ can underscore just how & why drunk driving is so dangerous, explains a Denver car accident attorney.
When motorists consume alcohol:
Their perception deteriorates – Both the ability to hear and see declines when motorists are drunk. In fact, while drunk drivers will have a harder time determining what sounds are and where they are coming from, they will also likely experience tunnel vision and impaired visual acuity (by up to 30 percent).
Their judgment is also impaired – One of the reasons that drunk driving is such a big problem is that the nature of alcohol impairment can prevent drivers from making reasonable choices (hence, people who know drunk driving is dangerous will still do it anyways when they are impaired because their judgment is impaired). Some studies have indicated that people’s abilities to make good judgments can be compromised at BACs as low as 0.02 (i.e. only after one or two drinks in some cases).
They have problems coordinating their movements – Alcohol can prevent people from being able to control their fine motor skills. This, in turn, can mean that drunk motorists are not able to safely coordinate essential tasks for driving, such as checking blind spots while driving straight.
They have slower reaction times – Knowing that alcohol can delay and complicate perception, it’s no big surprise that drunk drivers will also then be slower to react to changing driving conditions when they do come to notice them. In the event that the necessary reaction is braking, yielding, etc., this can greatly increase the risk of collisions if reaction times are impaired even just slightly.
Contact a Denver Car Accident Attorney at the Law Office of James H. Guest, LLC
If you or a loved one has been injured in a drunk driving accident – or in any type of traffic collision, contact a Denver car accident attorney at the Law Office of James H. Guest, LLC for help with your financial recovery. Known for providing comprehensive legal representation to the victims of negligence, our attorneys are dedicated to helping our clients recover fair compensation for their medical bills, lost wages and other expenses.
Contact us by calling or by emailing us via the contact form on this page. We offer free initial consultations, and there is no fee for our services if there is no recovery in your case.
From our offices located in Denver, our attorneys provide superior personal injury representation to clients in Lakewood, Denver, Littleton, Arvada, Evergreen, Golden, Highlands Ranch, Westminster, Brighton, Thornton, Broomfield, Boulder, Parker, Englewood, Wheat Ridge, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, Vail, Conifer, Castle Rock, Denver County, Adams County, Jefferson County, Douglas County, Arapahoe County, Boulder County, Broomfield County, El Paso County, Larimer County, Weld County, Eagle County, Summit County and throughout Colorado.