Driving Drunk in the Holiday Season

I’m Ed Smith, a personal injury lawyer in Antelope. The New Year is rapidly approaching, and it is my fervent wish that everyone stay safe. The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is hoping a New Year’s Eve crackdown on drunk drivers helps motorists end the holiday season without becoming a highway statistic.

CHP Wishes Californians a Safe Holiday Season

In a press release, the CHP announced recently that it will institute a period of maximum enforcement on December 30 from 6:00 in the evening New Year’s Eve to midnight on January 2. In an all out show of personnel, CHP officers will look for violations such as:

Impaired driving
Lack of seat belt use
Reckless driving
Speeding
Distracted driving

Reasons for Heightened Enforcement Platform

The CHP commissioner, Joe Farrow, explains in the press release that impaired driving is not only a crime but also a significant highway safety risk. The result of drunk driving can be a DUI charge or fatalities and serious injuries. In 2015, the CHP arrested 920 individuals in a maximum enforcement effort that year. Holiday parties involve alcoholic beverages. The CHP recommends that planning ahead for safe transportation home can save lives.

Incidence of Drunk Driving

In 2016, 10,497 people died due to a drunk driving incident. Thirty-three percent of all traffic fatalities involved a drunk driver, a constant statistical finding each year. Males are more likely than females to drive drunk by a factor of 21 percent versus 14 percent.

While 1.1 million drivers were charged with drunk driving, at least 111 million people said they drove after drinking in a nationwide survey. This means that drivers must be constantly alert for dangers on the roadway. Even if your blood alcohol content is not officially over the legal limit, a buzzed driver is not able to make the type of decisions needed to get home safely.

Alcohol’s Effects

There is no clear line between when you are too drunk to drive and just feeling good. The effects of alcoholic beverages take hold slowly and gradually. Even at a BAC level of up to 0.05, the ability to make decisions has been affected. Initially, drinking may give you a feeling of exuberance and energy, but thinking is already altered. The time it takes to react to a stimulus is slowed, and behavioral changes may appear. By the time you’ve started to slur your words and stumble, you’ve been drunk for a bit.

Myths of Drunk Driving

There are persistent myths that cloud a driver’s thinking about whether or not it is safe to drive home after a few drinks.

Caffeine: One pervasive argument is that a cup of coffee will sober you. It won’t. It might make you more alert, but the effects of drinking on your brain are still there. Alcohol is released into your system for several hours after drinking. Once you are driving, the probability that sleepiness will occur is high.
If you can talk without slurring, you can drive: This is not true since slurring is at the end of a cascade of events that rob you of the ability to drive.
Alcohol provides well-being: This is a real misconception. Due to the effects of alcohol on the body, you may begin to feel impervious to pain and temperature. This illusion is caused by a depressant effect on the brain’s temperature and pain centers.

What You Can Do to Avoid Drunk Driving

One of the first things you can do is to find a designated driver. Someone at the party may be unable to consume alcohol for a variety of reasons such as pregnancy. See if that person will be able to take you home. If not, have the number of a local taxi company logged on your cell phone and call them. In some areas, public transportation and ride shares are plentiful.

If you are throwing a party, serve drinks without alcohol too, such as water, sparkling beverages and juice. Always serve food or snacks to your guests to help slow alcohol absorption. Assist guests with getting home from a party. If you are at a bar, make it your business to mention safe driving practices after drinking.

Personal Injury Lawyer in Antelope

I’m Ed Smith, a personal injury lawyer in Antelope. If you or a family member was injured by a drunk driver or if a loved one died, you need the experience an injury attorney can give. Call me at (916) 921-6400 or (800) 404-5400 anytime for friendly and free advice. If it is more convenient for you, contact me online.

I’ve been practicing law for more than 35 years, helping those in Northern California and Antelope get the financial compensation they deserve for:

You might want to know more about my practice. Go to Avvo, Yelp and Google.

The Million Dollar Advocates Forum represents trial lawyers with settlements and verdicts of $1 million or more. As a California member, I invite you to check out their website.

You can view some of the settlements and verdicts I won for clients right here on AutoAccident.com.

Photo Attribution: https://pixabay.com/en/new-year-s-eve-new-year-s-greetings-1905144/

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Driving Drunk in the Holiday Season