Georgia Injury Law Blog
Very often motorists involved in car accidents believe their ability to drive was unaffected because they had had just a couple of drinks. Unfortunately, their belief is incorrect and dangerous. A new study confirms the reason why so many serious accidents occur even when motorists are driving with a blood alcohol level below the .08% limit.
According to the study, a person may be at risk of causing auto accidents with serious injuries even when he’s driving with barely traceable alcohol levels in his blood.The researchers analyzed accident data involving 1.5 million people.The researchers focused on those accidents involving the most serious injuries, and compared them to those accidents in which the injuries were relatively minor.
They found that accidents, in which the person was driving even with a .01% concentration of alcohol in his blood, were more likely to end in seriously injurious accidents than those accidents involving sober motorists.Specifically, accidents seemed to be at least 36.6% more severe when one of the motorists was driving under the influence of barely traceable levels of alcohol.In comparison, accidents were much less injurious, when the persons involved were not driving under the influence of alcohol in their system.This indicates that even a single alcoholic beverage can be sufficient to impair a person seriously enough to cause an accident that ends with serious injuries.Atlanta drunk driving accident attorneys have observed these issues for years, but it’s good to have a study to confirm our experience.
In order to avoid accidents like this, Atlanta car accident attorneys strongly advise refraining from drinking if you plan to drive.A BAC level even below the .08% limit could affect your ability to drive, and you may not even be aware of it.A designated driver can be a great help when you plan to drink.Wealso find many people who may not be aware of their low capacity for alcohol, with possibly dangerous consequences when the person is driving after having a drink or two.
The study specifically points to the increased risk of injuries when a person is driving under the influence of alcohol, but Atlanta car accident attorneys have been aware of the high risk of accidents from drunk driving for years now.Drunk driving accidents typically tend to be high-impact accidents, because these very often involve speeding and reckless driving.
A person driving under the influence of alcohol is likely to be feeling lightheaded and buzzed, and is more likely to shed his inhibitions.He may be more prone to reckless and aggressive driving practices.These can include not just speeding, but also driving through red lights, and failure to obey traffic laws.Driving under the influence can also contribute to fatigue and drowsiness, further increasing the person’s risk of an accident.Additionally, driving under the influence of alcohol increases a person’s risk of undesirable driving behaviors, like inattention, running red lights and distracted driving.All of this increases a person’s risk of being involved in a serious or even fatal accident. See, Small Amount of Alcohol Can Impair Driving.