Everybody knows that it is unsafe to drive if you are intoxicated by drugs or alcohol. Drunk driving accidents are a terrible hazard on the highways and roads of the Rochester metro area. Nationwide, drunk driving is involved in about 40% of traffic fatalities.
How exactly does alcohol reduce a motorist’s ability to drive safely? Here are the four most important ways, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA):
- Impaired judgment. Alcohol affects the parts of your brain that you use to make decisions. Without their judgment-making abilities at full capacity, a drunk driver is more likely to take dangerous risks like speeding or driving recklessly.
- Reaction time. You need your ability to process the world around at its best in order to drive safely. Alcohol slows down your ability to understand and react to what is happening on the road. A few seconds of delay in braking or maneuvering out of the way can be all it takes to cause a tragic collision.
- Vision. An intoxicated person can experience blurred vision, double vision and trouble focusing. Without the ability to focus on other vehicles and judge their distance, an impaired driver cannot safely navigate through traffic.
- Color distinction. Many of the signs and symbols we see and react to on the road use specific colors. Think of red stop signs and orange traffic cones. But alcohol can reduce a user’s ability to distinguish between colors, raising the chances of confusion and a resulting crash.
Many drunk drivers get into their vehicle believing they are sober enough to drive. Too often, they instead cause terrible harm to others by causing a car accident.
If you were injured by a drunk driver, you should discuss what happened with an attorney experienced with personal injury. You will find out how much compensation you could be entitled to, and what to expect from the process of asserting your legal rights.
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