Drunk Driving Facts: The Consequences of Drinking and Driving

Drunk driving is a serious problem throughout the world. It’s such a threat that affects not only the person who is behind the wheel but the other innocent drivers and pedestrians. It leads to many accidents and can often be life-threatening.

Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs means that the driver does not have the mental capacity to apply the motor skills. It’s illegal to drive a car if the blood alcohol content is 0.08% or higher.

How Drinking Affects the Driving?

Drinking and driving is a great offense because it not only impairs one’s mental capacity and motor skills but also affects many senses. A heavily drunk driver shows slow response time, loses the sense of coordination, does not have the clarity of perception, cannot apply judgment, and loses the ability to pay attention. The inability to exercise any of these skills could be dangerous on the road.

Drunk Driving Facts

The rate of drunk driving accidents has increased so much so that laws have become stricter in almost every USA states and judges also follow along by handing out fines and penalties, revoking license suspension, and ordering jail time. Read these drunk driving facts and you will also understand the necessity of imposing harsh punishments.

1. Alcohol-impaired crashes too the lives of 10,265 people in 2015 in the United States. The figure was even bigger in 2016!
2. DUI (driving under influence) takes the life of a person in every 51 minutes in the United States. It means 27 people die every day just because someone could not avoid the temptation of drinking a few pegs before getting behind the wheel!
3. The rate of injuries because of DUI is even more. It happens in every 120 seconds!
4. Violation of traffic rules is the cause of many road accidents, leading to injuries and deaths. There’s no surprise that roughly one-third of these incidents involve an alcohol or drug substance.
5. Kids and teens who get involved with alcohol at a young age are 7 times more likely to be involved in an alcohol-related crash in their lives.
6. In 2015, South Africa was the worst country for drunk driving crashes because 58% of all the road accident deaths in that country involved alcohol. Canada and America followed with 34% and 31%.
7. Many people think that taking caffeine or doing exercises will make them fit for driving no matter how many pegs they have consumed. Well, it’s just a myth. You will need time and the substance to get out of your system to become sober.

     SEE MORE:

• The Psychology behind Texting while Driving
• New Drivers should Follow these Defensive Driving Tips

Consequences of Drinking and Driving

Fines and penalties are the two most common form of punishments imposed on the people who drive under the influence of a substance. Think of these consequences too before going out next time after drinking:

• Court fees
• Attorney fees
• Taking driving education classes
• Jail time
• Suspension of driving license
• Loss of job
• Community service time
• Car repair costs
• Getting injured or amputated
• Killing someone

Suggestions to Avoid Drunk Driving Accidents

Follow these tips to promote driving safety and avoid any possible drunk driving accidents.