The Dangers of Drunk Driving Comprehensive Wellness Centers

The most at-risk groups for drunk driving fatalities are young people, motorcyclists, and repeat DUI offenders. Drunk driving facts show that the 4.4 million people who were involved in road accidents each year had injuries severe enough to need medical attention. As for accident-related fatalities, one-third of the accidents involve drunk drivers. Someone who has had a couple beers within an hour will have a BAC far below the 0.08 legal limit.

Every day in the United States, around 29 people are killed as a result of drunk driving accidents. In 2018, 28 percent of all accident-related fatalities involved a drunk driver. Drinking and driving increases the risk of accidents due to impaired motor skills, less concentration, slow reaction times, decreased vision, and poor judgment. These side effects put the driver, potential passengers, other vehicles, and pedestrians at risk.

Alcohol

Legal trouble can also ensue, which can result in the person being fined, losing their license, or even being arrested. For example, when intoxicated, you may choose to drive home well beyond the legal drinking limit, or when you know you are feeling drunk and should not be getting behind the wheel. But the forces of wanting your own bed, not wanting to wait or pay for a ride, or the old adage of being “just around the corner” outweigh the smart and safe decision, so you get behind the wheel. This is a risky choice that puts you and others in danger, both legally and from physical harm caused by operating a motor vehicle when impaired. Research has long indicated that raising the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) to 21 has reduced alcohol-related crashes among drivers under 21 (Shults et al. 2001). This study raises the possibility that delaying underage drinking may reduce alcohol-related crash involvement among adults as well (Hingson et al. 2002).

In 2021, 27% of young drivers 15 to 20 years old who were killed in crashes had BACs of .01 g/dL or higher. As alcohol levels rise in a person’s system, the negative effects on the central nervous system increase. Alcohol is absorbed directly through the walls of the stomach and small intestine. Then it passes into the bloodstream where it accumulates until it is metabolized by the liver.

Understanding Drunk Driving

Nationally, the number of arrests for drinking and driving increased sharply from the late 1970s to the early 1980s, but were substantially lower in the 1990s. Traffic crashes Top 5 Questions to Ask Yourself When Choosing Sober House are more likely to result in death or injury if alcohol is involved. Of all alcohol-related crashes in 2002, 4 percent resulted in a death, and 42 percent in an injury.

A driver under the influence will struggle with basic coordination skills. When performing sobriety tests, law enforcement officers test hand-eye coordination to help determine if someone is driving under the influence. They test this by having the driver walk in a straight line, follow their finger with their eyes, or balance on one foot. All in all, the dangers of drinking and driving far outweigh the reward of chancing that you’ll get home safely.