The holiday season is here, and whether it is served at a company holiday party, during a family holiday celebration or a New Year’s Eve party, alcohol consumption is often part of the holiday festivities. However, drunk driving accidents are an all-too-common occurrence in the Orange area and across Texas during the holiday season.
Most Texas residents understand that having a blood-alcohol concentration at or above the legal limit of 0.08, they may be too drunk to drive and could cause a car accident. What they may not know is that, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, even having a BAC below the legal limit can impair a driver enough to cause a car crash.
The effects of three drinks
In general, if you have had three standard sized drinks, your BAC may be around 0.05. This is below the legal limit. However, those with a BAC of 0.05 may still affect your driving abilities. You may experience a reduction in your coordination and ability to track moving objects. You may find it more difficult to manipulate the steering wheel. You may also experience a reduction in your ability to respond to emergency situations on the road. Any of these effects could easily lead to a car accident
The effects of two drinks
However, what if you only had a couple of standard sized drinks and your BAC is a mere 0.02. Can this affect your driving abilities? Yes, it can. If you have a BAC of 0.02 may find that there is a decline in their ability two rapidly track moving objects. You may also experience a decline in your ability to undertake two tasks at the same time. As this shows, even having a couple drinks can interfere with your ability to drive safely, leading to a car crash.
Stay safe this holiday season
This holiday season, it is important to make sure you do not drive drunk. Ride with a designated driver or hail a taxi or ride sharing service instead of driving yourself home after drinking. Drunk driving breaches a motorist’s duty of care. If this breach causes a car crash that injures of kills another person, you may face liability for your actions.