Being involved in an auto accident can leave you physically and emotionally traumatized. The aftermath of the crash can compound the trauma. From injury to damaged property, medical expenses to lost income, you may have to deal with more than you bargained. And while some accidents are not avoidable, many are.
Driving while intoxicated is one of the most dangerous things anyone can do. You increase your risk of causing an accident if you operate a motor vehicle while impaired. Remember, alcohol consumption, even in small quantities can impact your coordination, judgment and reaction time. The result is that you are likely to make poor decisions and cause preventable accidents.
Here are some of the most common types of accidents caused by drivers who operate motor vehicles under the influence of alcohol.
Head-on collisions
A drunk driver can become drowsy and fall asleep behind the wheels. The result is they will likely veer into oncoming traffic in a head-on collision. Additionally, alcohol interferes with an individual’s ability to see clearly and acknowledge traffic signs and signals, all the more making head-on collisions even more likely.
Rear-end collisions
When a driver is intoxicated, their ability to judge distances is impaired, and so is their reaction time. The result is their inability to react fast enough when another motorist slows down or applies an emergency break in front of them. They can also incorrectly be confident that they can safely slow down and stop when they actually cannot.
Pedestrian and bicycle accidents
A drunk motorist whose vision is impaired may not see a cyclist or a pedestrian especially when driving at night. This can result in a catastrophic accident.
Wrong-way crashes
Because drunk drivers cannot fully read and comprehend road signs, they may not realize it when they have taken the wrong way on a one-way street, entrance or exit to the highway. This can increase the likelihood of an accident.
Each year, thousands of accidents are caused by drunk drivers. And one of the most intriguing paradoxes of accidents caused by drunk drivers is that it is often the other road users who suffer serious injuries rather than the motorist who was operating a vehicle while intoxicated.
