Responsible adults who choose to drink alcohol may know that it is incredibly dangerous to drink and drive. Driving a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol can pose many risks to the health and safety of a New Mexico resident, as well as all of the other individuals that they encounter while out on the road. To avoid these hazards, individuals can get rides, call cabs, assign designated drivers and take other proactive steps to avoid drunk driving.
Drinking and driving is dangerous because alcohol has an immediate and significant impact on the human body. When a person’s blood alcohol concentration reaches .02% they may begin to feel warmth, more relaxed and even less able to make sound judgments about what they are experiencing. The more a person drinks, the more detrimental effects they may experience.
For example, when a person’s blood alcohol concentration reaches .08%, their coordination, concentration and self-control may all be impacted. Drivers who lack these and other cognitive and emotional controls may be unable to react to hazards on the roads or respond to changing driving conditions. Drunk drivers can and do cause dangerous motor vehicle accidents and when car accidents happen it is often the innocent victims who pay the highest price.
Drunk driving accidents happen in New Mexico and claim too many lives each year. For those who do not perish in preventable drunk driving accidents, long-term and serious injuries may plague them for the rest of their lives. Victims of drunk driving accidents may have personal injury legal options.