Your summer road trip is a time to relax, but you should be aware you are likely to be sharing the road this summer with a drunk driver, especially on weekends and holidays. You will want to be aware of how alcohol affects a motorist’s ability to drive safely as well as look out for signs that a motorist is driving while intoxicated.
It is dangerous to drive above the legal limit
You likely already know that it is illegal to drive with a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.08 or above and it is easy to see why. A person with a BAC above the legal limit may experience problems concentrating and controlling their vehicle, black out for periods and experience problems in processing dangerous situations and exercising good judgement behind the wheel.
However, even if a motorist’s BAC is below the legal limit that motorist may still be too impaired to drive safely. A person with a BAC of 0.05 can have problems with coordination and small-muscle control. Their judgment can be impaired, and they could find it difficult to respond to emergency situations on the road. You do not need to be above the legal limit to be too drunk to drive safely.
What are some signs a motorist is drunk?
There are several signs you can look out for that indicate you are sharing the road with a drunk driver. Drunk drivers may:
- Swerve between lanes
- Slow down and speed up
- Go through stop signs or red lights
- Tailgate
- Come close to striking objects, the curb or other vehicles
- Drive without their headlights on when it is dark out
- Make illegal turns, or
- Drive on the wrong side of the road
If you are struck by a drunk driver you will want to take steps to protect your rights. This includes pursuing a personal injury lawsuit based on negligence.
All motorists have a duty to drive reasonably under the circumstances. Drunk driving violates this duty. If this violation causes your car accident you may be able to seek compensation for the damages that you suffered. We all want to have a safe summer when we hit the road, and this includes avoiding being the root cause of a drunk driving accident.