An accident can happen in a split second, and it can turn into a tragedy. You’ll find that in many cases, a lot of car crashes occur because of drunk driving. Consuming alcohol can affect your judgment, vision, reaction, and in some events, how you see colors.
There are many ways we can reduce or prevent accidents that happen due to drunkenness. Here’s what law enforcement can do, and what you can do too!
The Law
1.Enforce Driving Laws
The law in the United States played an important part in reducing drunk driving accidents. The law states that an individual can’t drive if they have a BAC at level 0.05% or 0.08%, depending on the state. In case you’re wondering, BAC means Blood Alcohol Concentration or the percentage of alcohol in the blood. The law doesn’t allow anyone under the age of 21 to drive if they have any level of alcohol in their blood. Those under the aforementioned age should have an adult with them whenever they’re on the road.
2.Raise Awareness
Raising awareness should start at a very young age. The government can start with high school students, educating them about the dangers of drunk driving. According to the legal team at DaveAbels.com, if you drink and drive, you may cause an accident that leaves the victims to deal with catastrophic injuries. In case you become a victim of a car crash where the driver was drunk, look for good lawyers in your area to seek compensation.
3.Sobriety Checkpoints
You’ve probably passed by a sobriety checkpoint before. Sobriety checkpoints are ones where policemen check some cars to ensure that the drivers aren’t impaired. The checkpoints are highly visible to prevent any crashes. The policemen test you to determine if you’re drunk, and these tests include using a breathalyzer that detects your BAC level. While sobriety checkpoints helped decrease the number of accidents, we believe that there should be more of them. They should be close to bars or places where people often get drunk.
4.Ignition Interlocks
Ignition interlock devices are also called in-car breathalyzers. If you’ve been an offender of driving under the influence, even if for the first time, they can install it in your car. It has a great function, as it will stop the car from ignition if the breathalyzer detects that you’re impaired. Usually, the interlocks will prevent you from driving if you have a BAC above 0.02%. Ignition interlocks are very effective and, if used more, the number of accidents will significantly decrease.
People
5.Plan for a Designated Driver
If you’re going to a party where there’s alcohol, you know how crazy it can get. At the end of the day, everyone is drunk and stumbling home. Many drunk drivers in one place isn’t a good idea. So, it’s best if, for every four drunk people, one person is sober.
Sober people can safely drive their friends home at the end of the day. The same plan can be made whenever your group of friends is out to have a few drinks. One of you must be sober to drive. The designated driver can also be the keeper of the key. They can hold other people’s keys to make sure they don’t impulsively drive away.
6.Call a Cab
If you’re out with your friends and you’re intoxicated, remember to call a cab to take you all home. If you are a bartender, you’re responsible to call a cab for drunk people too. Try to convince the drunk person to get in the cab. Speak as slowly as you can and try not to sound confrontational. Take your time using reason to convince them, as they can’t make a good judgment at the time.
7.Call for Support
If your drunk friend won’t get into the cab, call their close friends or family. They will know how to deal with them. Ask them to come to your location if possible. Try to stay calm, or else, the situation may escalate. Finally, if you see a stubborn drunk person getting into their cars, take their keys, and if all fails, you should call the police.
We all think the worst won’t happen to us until it does. Someone who drinks and drives may think they will never get caught or cause a car crash until it happens. Car crashes can leave multiple people disabled. And there’s a lot you can do about it. If your friend has a recurring drinking problem, you help them get treatment to prevent them from hurting themselves or anyone. If you have a drinking problem, we advise you to start treatment as soon as possible. That way you and your loved ones will stay safe.
