We are all aware that drunk driving is not safe, and in Nevada as well as the rest of the nation, driving with a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.08 or above is illegal and could easily lead to a drunk driving accident. However, especially now that the holiday season is here with its many festivities, it can be hard to remember that even having a couple of drinks and then getting behind the wheel can impair your ability to drive safely.
Impairment after three drinks
If you have three standard drinks, your BAC may be around 0.05 — below the legal limit. However, this does not mean that your ability to drive is not impaired. Having consumed around three drinks can lead to a reduced ability to track moving objects and could negatively impact your coordination. You may find steering your vehicle is more difficult and it also may be more difficult to respond to emergency driving situations. Any of these factors could easily contribute to a car crash.
Impairment after two drinks
While we can appreciate that even three drinks may be too many when it comes time to get behind the wheel of a vehicle, what if we have a mere two standard drinks? Surely if your BAC is only 0.02 you can safely drive, right? Actually, perhaps not. Even having consumed only two drinks can make it more difficult for you to perform two different tasks at the same time. It could also lead to a decline in your ability to rapidly track moving objects. These factors could lead a person to cause a car accident, even though their BAC is well below the legal limit.
Stay safe this holiday season, do not drink and drive
Ultimately, the safest thing to do if you have been drinking at a holiday celebration is to ride home with a designated driver, hail a cab or stay where you are until you have sobered up. Even a few drinks can impair a person enough to cause a drunk driving accident. If you were injured in a car crash caused by a drunk driver, there is hope. Nevada has a statute of limitations in which those who are injured in a car crash have two years to pursue compensation. Personal injury attorneys in the Las Vegas can provide more information about the possibility of filing a lawsuit following a drunk driving crash.