Everyone knows that alcohol and driving simply don’t mix, but how many people realize just how dangerous it can be? A lot of people may not realize that drunk driving not only puts the driver at risk but also poses a significant danger to everyone on the road with them.
In Spokane, Washington, there were over 4,000 car crashes in 2022, and sadly, 217 of accidents were attributed to alcohol impairment. Although any accident can cause serious injuries or even fatalities, alcohol-related crashes increase this probability. Here are some of the dangers of drunk driving in Spokane, Washington.
Driving While Drunk Slows Reaction Times
We often need to think quickly and make fast decisions while driving. There’s no way to predict what another driver is going to do while driving around Spokane, and it is imperative that we react quickly when the unexpected happens. Driving while drunk affects the ability to respond to these unexpected situations and, sadly, can result in horrific crashes. Drivers take longer to process situations, such as someone in front of them abruptly changing lanes or a car in front of them unexpectedly slamming on the brakes with alcohol in their system.
Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol Impairs Fine Motor Skills
Operating a motor vehicle requires sound coordination. Alcohol consumption can make it difficult for a driver to maneuver a vehicle. Drunk drivers tend to swerve out of their lanes, misjudge curves in the road, and safely handle turns. This can be disastrous for anyone on the road and often leads to serious crashes.
Alcohol Causes Impaired Vision
Drivers need to be able to clearly see everything on the road around them. Consuming alcohol causes impaired vision, such as blurring or double vision. This makes it harder for drivers to see red lights, stop signs, pedestrians on the road, and the other cars around them. Peripheral vision is also affected by intoxication, and you can even lose control over eye movement. A drunk driver often has difficulty judging the distance of other cars around them, and a crash becomes much more likely.
Driving While Intoxicated Leads to Poor Decisions
Driving requires constant decision-making, and these decisions often need to be made in an instant. For example, drivers may need to ask themselves if they should proceed through a yellow light or stop. Should they let another driver merge in front of them? Are they driving at a safe speed, or do they need to slow down? Being under the influence of alcohol impairs the ability to make sound decisions, which often leads to crashes. Poor decision-making can also mean that the driver is more likely to do other unsafe things while behind the wheel, such as texting, making phone calls, or diverting their attention toward the radio.
The bottom line is that drunk driving is more dangerous than some people may realize. Everyone needs to realize their limits as well as the ramifications of driving while intoxicated. Having one too many alcoholic beverages before operating a motor vehicle can have devastating and life-changing consequences that are simply not worth it.
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