Impaired driving crashes are very serious matters. These accidents claim 29 lives on an average day in this country. It is imperative for all drivers to ensure they are in the right condition to drive. Any driver who is intoxicated is a public safety hazard.
Even if you know that you don’t drink and drive, there is a chance that you will be impacted by one of these accidents. Understanding a few things about them might behoove you.
More than just alcohol
You might think of impaired driving accidents as always being due to alcohol. This isn’t the case because drugged driving is a form of impaired driving. Over-the-counter medications, prescriptions and illegal drugs can all lead to impaired driving. The thing that matters in all these cases is that the drivers aren’t able to operate the vehicles safely.
Measuring impairment
Police officers can measure the impairment of a driver who is suspected of driving drunk by giving the driver a blood alcohol concentration test. These are done via blood test, breath test or urinalysis. There isn’t any test that can easily detect the impairment level of a driver who has been using drugs. These tests can give false results because many drugs will remain in the person’s system long after the effects of it have worn off. This makes these tests unreliable for the purpose of detecting impairment, which might make it difficult for victims of impaired driving crashes to have the proof they might need for their civil cases.
Effects of impairment
There are many ways that impairment will affect a person’s ability to drive. It can slow reaction time, which means they can’t react to hazards appropriately. Impaired drivers will usually drive recklessly because they feel like they are invincible. Their ability to make good decisions goes out of the proverbial window. It is hard to understand why they would feel that they are able to drive safely.
Drunk driving crashes
A drunk driving crash can kill or injure an innocent person. These crashes often require considerable medical care for victims who survive. They might need to take time off of work and could require lifelong medical care. Unfortunately, they have to live with the effect of another person’s decisions. This is part of what makes impaired driving accidents so horrible. If you are a victim in one of these accidents, think carefully about your options after you seek medical care.
