Key Takeaways
The article offers insights on impaired driving:
- Impairment and Judgment: Alcohol and drugs significantly impede judgment, making driving dangerous.
- Impact on Young Drivers: Drivers aged 21 to 24 are particularly prone to fatal crashes when impaired.
- Severe Legal Penalties: Impaired driving can lead to severe legal consequences, including fines, license loss, and prison time.
- Deadly Consequences: Impaired driving is often fatal, regardless of the substance causing the impairment.
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Many people are aware that drunk driving is a bad idea. And yet, 11,654 people were killed in car accidents involving alcohol impairment in 2020 alone. The harsh reality of driving accidents that include intoxication as a factor is that they are often very serious, if not deadly.
If a drunk driver has injured you, you need to secure a skilled Carson City auto accident attorney right away. The team at Kilpatrick Bullentini can help you seek the compensation that you deserve if you have been in an impaired driving accident. We work hard for our clients to ensure that they do not suffer lifelong penalties due to someone else’s risky behavior.
The Harsh Reality of Impaired Driving Accidents
There are many hard truths associated with driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Those who make these kinds of decisions not only cause thousands of dollars of property damage each year but can also cause significant harm to other drivers on the road with them. There is one death every 45 minutes each day in the US due to impaired driving alone.
Understanding the harsh realities of making this choice can go a long way toward discouraging people from getting behind the wheel when they are intoxicated.
While education about the risks of impaired driving takes place in schools around the US, these programs do not always reveal the harshest truths about driving while intoxicated.
Alcohol and Drugs Impede Judgment
One of the main reasons that it is so dangerous to drive while intoxicated is that you cannot make sound decisions in this state. Many people report feeling like they were completely okay to drive right before they caused a significant car accident.
The substances that lead to impaired driving deprive those who use them from making objective decisions, which leads to a sense that it is a good idea to get behind the wheel.
Education about impairment and the need to have a designated driver if you intend to imbibe even a single drink at dinner, for example, is key to preventing impaired driving accidents.
Young Drivers Are Particularly Susceptible to Impaired Driving Accidents
Drivers aged 21 to 24 have the highest percentage of fatal crashes in any age group who choose to drive while impaired each year. Being allowed to finally go out to enjoy bars and driving around with other drunk or impaired friends creates an environment where this kind of erroneous judgment comes into play regularly.
Receiving a DUI charge at this age can severely limit the future ability of these young people to hold down jobs, find housing, or even retain their driver’s license. Yet, these kinds of poor decisions are made repeatedly yearly in the US. Some states do more outreach of this kind than others, and more uniform DUI education could go a long way toward reducing the number of DUI-related accidents each year.
Education about the risks associated with driving impaired is essential to discourage young people from getting behind the wheel when they are not sober.
Impaired Driving is Deadly Driving
Many people think that they are different from “those people who get into accidents after they have been drinking.” It is very easy to assume that you will not make poor decisions that can harm someone else on the road with you. However, the statistics are not in favor of this train of thought, and many people die each year because of drunk drivers.
Impaired driving is deadly, no matter how you look at it. Those who decide to get behind the wheel when they are impaired take the chance that they might kill an innocent person. Misplaced confidence in driving ability and the ability to make judgments while intoxicated are often a key factor behind DUI-related fatalities.
Impaired Driving of Any Kind is Impaired Driving by Law
Driving impaired is driving impaired, no matter what substance you have taken to cause the impairment. Whether you are behind the wheel after using cannabis, drinking alcohol, or using other substances, you are legally considered to be driving under the influence. Substances of all kinds affect our ability to make judgment calls and to react to the stimuli around us.
No matter what kind of impairment someone is suffering from, they should not be driving. There is no associated reduction of risk associated with driving high as opposed to driving drunk, for example. Both kinds of substances lead to impaired judgment and a significantly increased risk of getting into a severe or fatal car accident.
Impaired Driving Can Lead to Severe Legal Penalties
Impaired driving can lead to severe legal penalties, from the payment of large fines to the loss of one’s driver’s license to time in prison. The number of DUI offenses, the severity of the accidents and damage caused, and the length of time in prison are all factors in determining the severity of the penalties that drivers face.
It is always best to pick a designated driver when you go out for a good time. Since even a single drink can lead to an impaired driving accident, planning ahead can save lives. Getting behind the wheel when you have been drinking is never worth the risk.
Impaired Driving Can be Deadly
The most fundamental truth about impaired driving is that it can be deadly. Many people believe that so long as they are not severely drunk, they can safely drive themselves home after a night out. It’s possible to suffer impairment even if you have only had a single drink with dinner, which many people are not aware of.
If an impaired driver has harmed you, you need to seek a skilled Carson City auto accident attorney to help you seek the compensation you deserve for your injuries. We make it easy for our clients to get the legal representation they need to recover from impaired driving accidents.
