Drink responsibly this holiday season to avoid car crashes

Halloween is over, and the winter holidays are approaching. Whether it is a glass of wine at Thanksgiving, eggnog at Christmas or champagne at New Year’s Eve, many of the holidays are toasted with alcohol. Sadly, some drivers this holiday season will make the risky decision to drive after drinking. This can potentially lead to a drunk driving accident that injures or kills another motorist.

How big is the drunk driving problem?

The drunk driving problem in the United States. is serious. Each day — at any time of the year — approximately 28 people lose their life in a drunk driving crash. This amounts to one death every 52 minutes. In 2019 alone, 10,142 individuals died in preventable drunk driving crashes. It is important that all motorists in New York understand how alcohol can impair them, making driving unsafe.

How does alcohol impair a motorist?

It is common knowledge that if your blood-alcohol concentration is 0.08 or above, you will be deemed too intoxicated to drive safely. This is for good reason. A motorist whose BAC is 0.08% will find that their coordination is poor, it is more difficult to detect danger and that their self-control, reasoning and memory are all impaired. Given this, it is easy to see why a person with a BAC of 0.08% can cause a drunk driving crash.

However, what if your BAC is 0.05%? Does this make it safe to drive? Perhaps not. A motorist with a BAC of 0.05% may find that their coordination and ability to track moving objects is reduced. Their judgment may be impaired, and they may find it more difficult to steer their vehicle. In addition, they may find it more difficult to respond to emergency driving situations.

Ultimately, some in New York might go as far as to say that no amount of alcohol is safe to consume if you plan on driving. At the very lease motorists should watch their alcohol intake this holiday season. It only takes one drink too many to lead to a motor vehicle accident that injures or kills another person. In the end, it may be better to find a way home after a holiday celebration that does not involve driving so you can celebrate responsibly.