Drunk driving is an epidemic that has taken away countless lives from families all over the world. It is one of the most selfish things you can do, and when it affects the life of another person, that person should be entitled to serious compensation for the arrogance and recklessness of the driver in question. The true extent of drunk driving just may shock you. The truth is that 30 people die every single day in a crash involving a drunk driver. That’s one person every 48 minutes. That’s 30 people ripped from the arms of their friends and family for one stupid mistake, and for what? When you get behind the wheel while intoxicated, you’re automatically projecting your own disregard for safety into the lives of everyone around you. Nobody should have that sort of behavior thrust into their world so violently.
Car accidents are a leading killer around the world as it is, nevertheless when alcohol is thrown into the mix. Together, these create a lethal and damaging combination that can alter lives in a split second. The problem arises when people don’t even yet realize they’re intoxicated. As most people can attest to, alcohol is a way to escape from the world while you’re under the umbrella of the bottle. While this can be a beautiful thing in small amounts, it can quickly escalate. Having a couple of drinks socially can help liven up the night and make memories that will last a lifetime. When those few drinks start turning into ten and you decide to get behind the wheel to call it a night, it can quickly turn into a nightmare in the making.
Alcohol makes it easy to ignore what’s right in front of you. As your inhibitions keep getting lower and lower, it also takes away your risk-assessment and judgment making abilities. Combine that with a ton of steel and glass, and you have a combination that has the potential to ruin lives.
Nobody deserves to have their life altered by somebody who refused to accept how much they’ve had to drink. Whether they started driving on purpose or if it was all an intoxicated mistake, these people still need to be held accountable. It is not fair to law-abiding citizens that these kinds of things can happen to you out of the blue. Unfortunately, these types of accidents aren’t going anywhere. Even with strict DUI and DWI laws in place, it is an ever-present issue on America’s roadways. It doesn’t always take a six-pack to make you impaired either, it can happen even in small amounts. Any amount of alcohol can begin impairing your decision making abilities and reaction time.
In fact, in 2017 alone, 1,837 people died from crashes involving an impaired driver with a BAC level below the legal limit. Even at a BAC level of .02, a person can begin faltering. At those levels, a drinker may experience reduced visual function and an inability to perform multiple tasks at the same time. When you throw this into the mix with all the intricacies of driving a motor vehicle, one second of misjudgment can result in a tragedy that can never be reversed.
There are a number of factors that contribute to the dangerousness of a situation while driving. When a person is driving under the influence of alcohol, these factors are significantly heightened. Take, for example, the weather. If it’s pouring rain, a driver may struggle to see the road, slow down, and turn on their windshield wipers or hazard lights. If that driver has been having cocktails all night, they may forget the steps it takes to keep themselves safe — nevertheless the other drivers they’re sharing the road with. This is the problem. When a person has a BAC of .05, they may experience difficulty focusing their eyes, steering, or responding to important decisions like a pedestrian walking into the street. Without these natural human precautions in place, they are impaired in every sense of the word.
With the price of taxis and rideshare services so low in today’s economy, there’s truly no excuse for any of this to happen. It all comes back to the inability to admit that they’re putting others at risk. By not exercising caution with their alcohol intake, they are forfeiting their right to be a responsible driver. That’s why anybody who is harmed by a drunk driver should be entitled to compensation for their pain and suffering. There is no amount of coffee or cold showers that will truly sober a person up. The only real solution is not taking the risk, to begin with. It doesn’t make you a monster if you drink alcohol, but it makes you a criminal if you do it before you get behind the wheel.
If you are injured in an accident involving a drunk driver, reaching a financial settlement is a very real possibility. The problem is that you may not get proper compensation without an experienced team of lawyers by your side. It is common for insurance companies to try to settle for less money than your case is worth. Here at Blase Injury Attorneys, we seek to gain the maximum settlement from the policy limits on your behalf. You deserve to have a normal life again. The drunk driver does not win just because they may have gotten off in a court of law or in a civil suit. We will keep fighting for your case until your voice is heard.
Together, we will work to see to it that you are financially able to live the life you love once again. At our firm, we have an unrivaled passion for justice that will see us through to a solution that works for our clients in the best possible way. Whether it’s reaching a fair settlement for your injuries or helping you file for social security disability until you find your footing again, we will work to put your family back together. A drunk driver has no right to take that away. To find out more about what we can do to help, give us a call today at (337) 347-7177.