Over 30 Americans die per day as a result of drinking and driving.
At this point, we all know the devastating potential that drunk driving has, yet people still do it on a daily basis. One of the problems with our collective attitude towards drunk driving is that people assume that nothing bad will happen to them.
If you take this approach, sooner or later it will come back to haunt you. It’s all about being educated, so what exactly does alcohol do to your driving skills and judgment? In this post, we’re going to explain what happens to your mind when you drink and why it’s not conducive to driving a car.
Your Judgment Changes
One of the things that alcohol does is change the way you think about situations. You may be a perfectly calculated individual who is a considerate driver normally, but when enough alcohol enters your system, your behavior can change.
Notably, your ability to plan ahead diminishes and your risk-taking behavior increases. You eventually end up with an altered perception of your own self-control. This is one of the first things that occurs when you drink, which is a recipe for disaster when combined with everything else alcohol does to you.
Concentration Diminishes
To be a safe driver, you need to concentrate on what’s happening on the road. When too much alcohol is consumed, your ability to concentrate on multiple tasks falters.
Think about what goes into safe driving – steering the car, maintaining your speed, staying within your lane, avoiding other cars, etc. A lapse in any one of these aspects of driving could spell disaster for you and everyone else on the road. If you get pulled over, this is when you’ll need to find yourself an attorney.
A Lack of Coordination
If you’ve ever had too much alcohol in an evening, then you know how difficult it can be to control your body. If your coordination falls apart, how on earth will you retain any driving skills?
Alcohol is proven to affect the part of the brain that controls your motor skills. Even two or three drinks will start to affect your coordination and your ability to track moving objects. If you don’t have coordination or concentration on your side, reckless driving will ensue and you’ll need this attorney to fight your reckless driving charge.
Vision Impairment
As mentioned, your ability to track objects diminishes after a few drinks. This is because alcohol affects the muscles that control your eyes, which blurs your vision and slows your visual reactions.
Your peripheral vision is also heavily impaired under the influence. This means you won’t be able to properly track anything that isn’t right in front of you. When you’re driving a car, this includes other cars, pedestrians, bikers, and whatever other obstructions are on the road.
What Does Alcohol Do to Your Driving Skills and Judgment?
What does alcohol do to your driving skills and judgment? It turns out, it does a lot, so even though some states allow you to have a drink or two before driving, it’s best to abstain altogether. If you don’t drink and drive, you’re less likely to bring harm to others on the road.
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