The holidays are here and as many of us are looking forward to a season of celebration, there are a few unsung heroes out there that are worth mentioning. While friends and family members gather together to make memories and have fun, the dedicated designated driver helps them all do it safely. It really isn’t safe to walk the line by trying to judge how many drinks you should or shouldn’t have before you get behind the wheel. When you have a sober chauffeur, everyone else can just enjoy.
Whether that means a friend who cares enough to refrain from drinking or hiring an Uber or some other transport service, often the most important thing is to make the decision ahead of time and have a mindset that if you plan to drink, you will plan ahead and have a safe ride home. Even though we all know it’s true, it helps to have a few reminders of why it’s so important not to drive while you’re under the influence of alcohol. Today’s blog outlines five ways alcohol effects your driving, and why having a designated driver is so important and appreciated.
1) How You React
So many variables can happen when you’re driving, from a deer darting across the road to a car pulling out of a blind driveway on a curve. You also have drivers who are distracted, or under the influence of alcohol themselves. When you drink, it can cause you to be slower to react to the unexpected and make it harder for you to avoid a collision.
2) How Your Eyes Respond
Our eyes tend to be drawn towards light, like oncoming headlights, and when driving at night we have to be able to gauge our distance from oncoming traffic. That can be harder to do when we have been drinking.
3) How You Think
In many ways, a person’s decision making is different when they are drinking versus when they are not. When you’re behind the wheel, you must be able to make quick decisions, think ahead, and be aware of your surroundings. Alcohol can be a hindrance to all of these.
4) How Well You Track
When a driver has been drinking, they tend to not look as far down the road, and not track as straight. This leads to weaving or even swerving depending on how much they have been drinking. This is not only high risk for getting you pulled over, but also risk for causing a serious accident.
5) Your Focus and Speed Control
Generally, when people have been drinking, they don’t stay focused as well as they do when they’re sober. So, keeping track of their speed is more difficult went under the influence.
Appreciate Your Designated Driver!
It is for all these reasons and more that Gibbons Law Firm has such a great respect for the designated driver and the responsible adults who plan ahead before drinking. We know it is a time of year when people are celebrating and making memories. As personal injury attorneys at Lake of the Ozarks, we have seen happy times turn tragic because of drinking and driving. It only takes a little bit of planning, to make a huge difference in your life and someone else’s. Don’t take chances, find a designated driver, and treat them well! They are doing a great service for you and others. If you or someone you know has been seriously injured in a car accident in mid-Missouri due to someone else is drinking and driving, please contact our law firm in Lake Ozark for a free initial consultation. To hear more helpful legal tips and information from Gibbons Law Firm, use the link below to follow us on social media.
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