Of course I can drive. I’m not that drunk.
We all know that drinking and driving is a lethal combination which could lead to embarrassing legal implications, serious injury or death; yet every evening, thousands of intoxicated motorists across the country make declarations of a similar nature, confident in the false knowledge that they are safe simply because they have in the past, gotten home alive.
- Reaction Time: The more alcohol you consume, the longer it takes for your brain to process vital information. For instance, a movement such as lifting your foot off the accelerator might ordinarily take you 1 second, but under the effects of alcohol your reaction time could increase to 2 seconds or longer.
- Impaired Vision: It is not unusual to experience blurred or double vision after a few drinks. Alcohol impairs your peripheral vision, meaning motorists become less aware of what is going on either to their left or right. Further, resulting in an inability to accurately identify pedestrians, trees, road signs and other vehicles.
- Reduced Concentration: Driving requires your undivided attention for relatively minor tasks such as staying within one lane, monitoring vehicular, identifying obstacles etc., all of which diminish significantly when alcohol is introduced to the brain.
- Lack of Coordination: Eye, hand and foot coordination are essential for driving but after a couple of drinks some motorists struggle with tasks as simple as inserting the key into the ignition.
- Poor Judgment: Your ability to plan, react, think, make sound decisions and process information become affected even with the smallest amount of alcohol in one’s system, all of which affect your ability to adopt to rapidly changing events on the road.
There is absolutely no justification for driving after drinking, particularly with the availability of apps such as Uber, Bolt not to mention the value of pre planning like arranging a designated driver or calling a friend.
The decision not to drive after drinking is one which each and every one of us can and should make, and in order to keep the roads safe for all the right decision would be not to drink at all if you will need to drive afterwards.
Remember, law enforcement agents do not prevent people from driving drunk, all they can do is punish those caught in the act.
