When you generally think of drunk driving car accidents, you imagine someone who is well over the legal limit. They’ve had five or six drinks, and they are recklessly taking to the road because they don’t want to pay for a ride home. After the crash, they’re slurring their words and they can barely walk, so it’s obvious that the intoxication affected their ability to drive.
However, many people have a habit of driving after just one or two drinks. Maybe it’s a glass of wine at a restaurant. Maybe it’s a beer with dinner. People will often feel like it’s fine to have a small amount of alcohol and then get in the car, probably because they know they’re going to be under the legal limit. But can that one drink still affect driving ability?
It still has an impact
One beer may not put someone over the legal limit, but it can still have an impact on their ability. It may make it harder for them to concentrate. They may have slower reaction times than someone who hadn’t had anything to drink. If they’re already feeling fatigued, a glass of alcohol can make it much worse. Just because someone hasn’t increased their blood alcohol concentration beyond 0.08% doesn’t mean that they won’t be more likely to cause a crash after having a single drink.
If you do get involved in an accident with a driver who had been drinking before hitting your car, and you suffer serious injuries, make sure you are well aware of the legal steps you can take to seek compensation. This can help you if you need to cover lost wages, medical bills and many other costs.
